Angel Wings
by bunny girl1
Summary: *COMPLETE* Sequel to Sleepless in California. It's been two years, and Suze has started to forget that fateful incident where she nearly lost Jesse. But what happens when that ancient demon prophecy starts coming true...
1. Premonition

A/N: YOU MUST READ THIS!!!!!!!!I'm sooooo sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long. You guys just have to understand...I've had total writer's block! Anyway, I finally had inspiration, and now, for some strange reason, I know exactly how this whole thing is gonna go. Isn't that strange? And I'm not kidding, the whole story came to me in a rush, in about a minute. My brain was frying from overload. Anyway, I have a few warnings...this story is not going to be as light and jokey as the last one. It might not be the Suze you're used to. This story will get very dark, very fast. I may change the rating to R later on, because of some cursing and sexuality. I'm debating that, but it would definetly make the story have more of the effect I'm looking for. Give me some feedback in your reviews, ok? Well...I tried to make it light and jokey, but I just couldn't. It screwed the whole thing up...so...well, I hope I haven't scared anyone away. Please just read the first chapter, I've talked too long...  
  
Angel Wings -- Chapter 1  
  
"My son, what have you done? You have promised yourself to one of…of…them???"  
  
"Relax, father. I -"  
  
"I cannot relax! You are the Unholy One! You must wed yourself to a suitable partner! Not that - that rubbish."  
  
"She is not rubbish! She is the most amazingly beautiful creature…"  
*Susannah……..  
"And if you cannot see how exquisite she truly is…her fiery spirit, her body, her soul…"  
*Susannah……..  
"Then you will indeed never understand why I will make her mine. Father, I am going back to the land of the humans…the time has come for me to take her for my own…she has been spending too much time with that weakling ghost boyfriend of hers…"  
*Susannah…….wake up…….  
  
  
Paul suddenly turned to look at me. The whole place was covered in shadows, and I couldn't see who he was speaking to, but I knew who it was. I knew all too well.  
  
Paul started walking towards me. It felt like I was tied to something. I couldn't move…  
  
"Suze, it's time." Paul smiled. "It's time for our eternity to begin. Time to recreate the universe for ourselves. You and me, Suze. You and me, forever…" He leaned towards me…it was that kiss…the one he gave me every night…  
  
His soft lips touched mine. And suddenly, it was all over. The binds that tied me fell loose, and a different kind replaced them. I looked at Paul, and I knew I would never see Jesse again. I knew that I was Paul's property now, for him to use and control as he pleased.  
  
And he knew it too, and he smiled…  
  
  
*Susannah, you must return to this world now……..  
  
  
My eyes opened. I sat up quickly and looked around me in shock. It was two in the morning. I was covered in a sheen of sweat, and breathing hard, my heart still thumping. I untangled myself from the twisted sheets and stood up, trembling. That was the dream I had been having for weeks now. Weeks of reliving the moment that for some reason, I knew was coming.  
  
Soon.  
  
That was when I realized I wasn't alone in my room. There was a presence standing in the corner of my room. Definitely not Jesse, too shadowy.  
  
"Sorry to wake you, Susannah. I had to bring you out of that world before you were too far gone…" The voice was that of a woman, soft and vaguely familiar.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded. Hey, I wasn't currently in the mood for visitors, in case you couldn't tell.  
  
"If you knew, you would murder me."  
  
"Are you the heir to the Dark Throne?" I asked, the slightest hint of sarcasm in my voice.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then we shouldn't have a problem."  
  
The lady chuckled, and a chill ran down my spine. I thought of calling Jesse, but decided against it. "Very well," the lady said, and stepped towards where I would be able to see her by moonlight.  
  
My jaw dropped in simultaneous shock and rage. "Not you again, you #####!" I took a step towards her, ready to kick some ghost - er - demon butt. "You were supposed to be dead!"  
  
She chuckled again. "Demons don't die easily."  
  
I smirked at her. "I bet I could prove you wrong." Oh yeah, I'm tough now - challenging a powerful demon at night in my pajamas makes me real special.   
  
"Relax, Susannah. I'm not here to harm anyone. A lot has happened to me in the two years since we last met. I'm not who I used to be."  
  
I frowned at her, but lowered my fists. "So why are you here?"  
  
Bianca looked down. "I've come to ask if I could join you."  
  
What the hell…?  
  
"Join me?" I asked.  
  
"You may not know this, Susannah -" I really wished she would quit calling me that, and just call me Suze like normal people - "but something terrible is about to happen. The Unholy One has been gathering much power. If he were to appear, for example, in your room right now, you would be powerless against him, even in your Light form. Much unlike your last meeting."  
  
I shivered. I didn't want to remember our last meeting.  
  
"The Dark forces have been multiplying rapidly." Her eyes focused sharply on mine. I glared back boldly. "At this moment, Paul wants nothing more than to have you for himself. That is his goal before all else, even ruling the cosmos. And right now, there is absolutely nothing to stop him from reaching that goal. Not you, me, or your boyfriend. He has reached a level of power not surpassed even by his father, the great anti-Christ. And if you do not accept my help now, I'm very sorry, but you are one stupid little girl."  
  
I sat back down on my bed, feeling numb. Crap…for two years…two glorious years…I had had peace. When I woke up the morning after that horrible night, my life was complete. Jesse loved me. For two whole years, not one ghost had bothered me. You read that right. Not one. I would have thought I had lost my powers had it not been for the fact I could still see Jesse. It didn't make much sense to me, but I didn't question it. It was a gift. I was a normal girl, for the first time in my life. Besides the fact that my boyfriend was dead, that is. And he is my boyfriend - somehow or other, we've been making it work. It's a tentative relationship, almost like an unspoken agreement between Jesse and I. But god, being with him is the ultimate happiness…if only he were alive…  
  
I had almost forgotten about all the mediator stuff, the bad experience, everything, like it was a bad dream I had woken up from…until a few weeks ago. That's when the nightmares of him started. The ones where he would own me…and I started seeing ghosts all over the place again. Only…they weren't normal ghosts. They didn't want help. They didn't glow. And they were very violent. I knew what they really were. I was just afraid to say it.  
  
And I knew Bianca was one of them.  
  
So I looked her squarely in the eyes. "Why do you want to help me?"  
  
She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I can't explain it to you…but you must be protected at all costs. You are the one who will safe us all…"  
  
Great. Just dandy.  
  
"What makes you think you can protect me form Paul?" I said grimly. This was horrible. I was so happy, and now my life was about to become a living hell again. No, not again…much, much worse than before.  
  
"It's not just me," she said. She moved to the bay window and sat down. "It's me and a small army of demons and angels. We're not powerful individually…but together we could hold back Paul, giving our lives if necessary."  
  
I was really surprised at this. "Am I…really that important??? That you guys would die protecting me???"  
  
She looked at me, and there was something so solemn and determined about her eyes, as she said, "You have no idea."  
  
I shivered. This was too much. I didn't want an army of bodyguards to protect me from a psychotic demon prince. I wanted to be a beautiful, popular girl, with Jesse as my boyfriend…alive. That's all I wanted. That's all!  
  
I shook my head, closing my eyes against this weird new reality. "No," I said, disbelieving of all this. I wanted to die and end it all. "No, this isn't happening. This isn't happening!"  
  
Bianca stood. "Yes it is happening. And don't even think of 'dying and ending it all'."  
  
I glared at her, furious. "How do I know you're really on my side? You could be working for Paul! What happened to you that made you good all of a sudden?"  
  
"I…" Her hands dropped to her sides, and suddenly the passion that was there a second ago vanished. "I…they…tortured…" Her eyes were brimming with…tears?  
  
"I'm…sorry. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories…" I really meant that, too.  
  
She smiled sadly. "It's alright, don't worry about it. The most important thing now is keeping you safe." She suddenly looked out the window, towards the moon. Then she smiled again, only it looked more mischievous than sad. "I better leave…your boyfriend is coming."  
  
Before I could say goodbye, she was gone. And a second later, Jesse materialized where she had just been standing, the moonlight casting a soft glow over him, making him appear even hotter than usual. But I couldn't think about that now.  
  
I ran into his arms, and I let out the choked sob that had been gripping me for several minutes now. "Jesse," I said, my voice quivering. This was all wrong. All wrong.  
  
He wrapped his arms around me, strong and reassuring. "What is it querida?" His voice was worried and surprised. "What happened?"  
  
"It's - Paul -" I managed to get out.  
  
"WHAT? PAUL? I THOUGHT HE WAS GONE!!!" I had to giggle. He was so cute when he was jealous.   
  
"Relax, Jesse." I sighed, and sat back down on my bed, Jesse sitting beside me. I grabbed his hand, holding it tightly, and he laced his fingers in between mine. I sighed again. I was so deeply in love with Jesse. It was horrible, this sweet torture…  
  
"There was somebody in your room just now," Jesse said, breaking our silence. "I felt it. That's why I came."  
  
"It was…Bianca."  
  
"Bianca? Isn't that…"   
  
He looked like he was about to explode again, so I interrupted him. "Yeah, it's her, but she's changed…"  
  
"Oh…" Jesse looked at me, his black eyes looking confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
"She said she's been through a lot since we last saw her. When I pressed the subject…it just seemed like a painful topic for her."  
  
Jesse looked at me, his face devoid of emotion. "What else did she say? I'm sure she wasn't here for a midnight chat, Susannah."  
  
"No," I said smiling. "She was here to tell me that she and an army of angels and demons were going to protect me."  
  
Jesse's eyebrows rose, and a small smile flickered on his lips. "Okaaay…"  
  
"She said they had to protect me from Paul."  
  
The smile disappeared, and was replaced by a scowl.  
  
"She said…that Paul has been gathering power…that he's more powerful than the anti-Christ himself…" I was talking so low now that Jesse leaned over to hear. "That - that he wants above all else - even above ruling the universe - to have…me."  
  
Jesse jumped off of my bed as if it had just caught fire. "What?"  
  
"She said that he's so powerful now that…nothing could really stop him, unless her entire army went at him at the same time…"  
  
Jesse looked at me with a discernable expression. But I didn't need to see it in his eyes. Because I heard it in his voice when he said in the softest, most vulnerable sounding voice I had ever heard him use, "Nombre de Dios…"  
  
A/N: OK, REVIEW TIME!!!! I need to know what you guys thing of how this is going so far. Do you think I'm crazy? Do you think I'm a genius? I NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE THIS A GOOD STORY, PEOPLE! God it's hard living up to the standards the last story made for me. I didn't expect people to like it. I thought it sucked! Well, anyway, just review. And don't expect me to pump those chapters out as fast as I did last time, alright. *sigh*...well, I'm not a machine! Just review. Now. 


	2. Possession

A/N: Thanks for the great reviews, guys! I would just like everyone to notice that I CHANGED THE RATING TO R, for obvious reasons. Well, apparently, my author's notes were *ahem, Amanda* too long in the first chapter, so, that's it for my note!  
"Susannah…" Father Dom was practically crushing his cigarette pack. "Are you positive it wasn't a dream…?"  
  
Poor Father Dom. He looked terrified. Well, there were demons we were talking about here.  
  
Jesse chose that time to come out from the shadows where he had been brooding. He hadn't said a word since he materialized, just went and sat in the corner, which was odd for him. He usually had too much input in matters like these. As he came towards us, his arms were folded over his chest, and he had an unreadable expression on his face. God, he looked so hot when he was brooding. I was contemplating jumping him when-  
  
His head snapped down to look at me where I was sitting by Father Dom's desk. And I had to suppress a shiver. The look in his eyes was so cold and distant…I was suddenly losing myself in them…  
  
What the hell?!? It felt like I was slipping out of my body!  
  
*Susannah…  
  
It was the same voice…his voice…oh, *shit…  
  
*Susannah…I want you…  
  
Jesse smirked, and whatever spell I had been under suddenly broke in that moment, leaving me sitting there, totally shocked.  
  
What just happened?  
  
"Susannah, Jesse…" Father Dom looked hard at us both. "Are you two alright…"  
  
When Father Dom looked at Jesse, he visibly paled and dropped the cigarette pack. I looked back of at Jesse, almost afraid of what I would see…okay, alright, terrified…  
  
And stood up in shock. Jesse had this crazy, maniacal glint in his eyes. His scar was glowing, and he had this creepy grin on his face. He was twitching-  
  
Okay, it's officially time for a freak out.  
  
"Jesse?" I tried, and touched his arm.  
  
He started. All at one the creepiness fell out of his face. He looked really confused. "W-where am I?" He looked down at me, and some kind of realization seemed to dawn on him. "Nombre de Dios…" he murmured, starting to back away from us…  
  
And Father Dome pulled something out of his pocket-a rosary.  
  
Ladies and gentlemen, the *shit has hit the fan.  
  
"Our Father, who art in heaven-"  
  
Jesse's eyes widened, and as he backed up, he stumbled and fell-  
  
"Hallowed be Thy name-"  
  
Jesse looked terrified. "Quit it, Father D!" I shouted, and ran to Jesse's side. He didn't seem to notice me as I grabbed and shook him.  
  
"Thy kingdom come-"  
  
"STOP!" I bellowed. Jesse looked up at me, and Father Dom finally stopped his weird exorcism. Time seemed to stop as Jesse whispered, "Stay away from me, Susannah." And he disappeared beneath my fingers.  
  
"Oh my god!" I whispered, gripping at the air where he had been only a second ago. "What's wrong with him…"  
  
Father Dom lowered his rosary and sat back down at his desk, massaging his temples. "Susannah, you better listen to him when he tells you to stay away from him."  
  
"Father D," I said, containing my anger. Why can't people ever tell me things straight up? Why do they always have to be so damn arcane? "Tell me what's wrong with Jesse, right now. I know you know."  
  
Father Dom sighed. "I'd recognize the symptoms anywhere, but I didn't know it could happen to ghost…Susannah, he's…possessed."  
  
I didn't notice the tears that were welling up in my eyes as I screamed, "What do you mean? By what?!?"  
  
Father Dom gave me a look that said, "Are you stupid or something?" And there it was.  
  
Paul had possessed Jesse.  
  
Paul had possessed Jesse.  
  
Paul had possessed Jesse.  
  
I wiped at the tears that were now trickling down my face, being annoyingly prickly. "No way," I told Father Dom steadily. "No freakin way."  
  
And I ran out of the office.  
  
  
*Susannah…Susannah, please, wake up…we need to talk…  
  
I opened my eyes, slipping reluctantly out of the first nightmare-less sleep I'd had in weeks. After running out of Father Dom's office, I had torn out of the school, running the two mile trek home in record time, thinking over and over to myself, "Jesse is not possessed. Jesse is not possessed." The last thing I remembered was falling to the floor and falling asleep. Noticing it was dark out, I wondered briefly who had put me in my bed…  
  
And then a glow registered in the corner of my eye. I turned my head, and there was Jesse, sitting in his favorite spot. Only he wasn't reading any big boring book. He wasn't playing with Spike.  
  
He was looking at me.  
  
No, staring was more the word. It was downright creepy. He wasn't even blinking. Not that ghosts really need to blink, but whatever.  
  
I found myself blushing in spite of myself. Well, you'd be blushing too, if you had Jesse looking at you as if he were studying your very soul-  
  
"Nice to see you awake, Susannah," Jesse said suddenly, smiling. There was something different about his eyes…but hey, at least he was blinking now. I still had that the feeling I was talking to a stranger, though.  
  
"H-hi," was all I could manage to stammer out. Smooth, Suze. Real smooth.  
  
Jesse didn't say anything. Instead, he started his staring act again. That's the only thing to call it. Just staring at me with absolutely no emotion on his face, not even blinking. I looked back at him, not necessarily scared but with a growing sense of unreal ness. It just didn't feel right.  
  
"Jesse," I said softly. "You're freaking me out."  
  
He chuckled and finally looked away. He stood up then and stretched luxuriously. My eyes subconsciously lowered to his chest, where the rippling of his muscles was clearly visible through his sleeveless tee-  
  
Whoa, wait just a minute! Where were his cowboy clothes? Jesse was dressed in black jeans and a black sleeveless tee that showed off his biceps perfectly. The clothes only accentuated his already haunting good looks (pun intended). I didn't know how I missed it before. But I couldn't overlook the fact that there's no way he could have possibly changed his clothes, being a ghost.  
  
I shrank in my bed until my back was against the headboard and watched him warily. He didn't notice. He was perusing my bedroom, observing all the pink frills and satins with something that resembled amusement.   
  
"Very…girly," he commented, grinning at me.  
  
My mind reeled. That was the same thing Paul said…(see Sleepless in California, one of the earlier chapters, I'm too lazy to look up which one) Did he realize that or was he just playing stupid?  
  
"Uh, yeah…" I muttered, wondering if I could jump out the window without him grabbing me.  
  
Jesse walked over and sat beside me on the bed. I mentally cringed, but on the outside, remained the image of innocent ignorance. Father Dom was right. But I couldn't bring myself to exorcise him, because Jesse would go, too. But I wanted more than anything to feel Jesse's arms around me now…  
  
As if he had caught that stray though, I felt strong arms wrap around me. I gasped as I was drawn into Jesse lap. I swallowed and forced myself to remember that he wasn't really Jesse…  
  
But it was so hard as Jesse brought his mouth down on my neck, nibbling the sensitive skin there.  
  
Dammit! Why was it always the evil guys that wanted me! And why couldn't the real Jesse act like this more often!  
  
"Stop it, Paul," I whispered. I realized my mistake a split second too late as Jesse stiffened.  
  
"What did you just call me, Susannah?" he said, seething.   
  
"Uh…" I tried to get off his lap, but he had an iron grip on me.  
  
"Susannah-" he turned me around and looked into my eyes, looking like a barely controlled madman. "Has Paul come back?"  
  
I squinted at him suspiciously. "What?" he said, his eyes widening in surprise. "Is there something on my face?"  
  
"No," I murmured, studying his face. He looked back at me blankly, and then his eyes squinted in suspicion as well, mirroring my own.   
  
"Susannah, you're acting strangely-"  
  
"So are you," I told him curtly.  
  
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it up again. His face suddenly contorted into something that looked like utter rage, only scarier. I backed away from him, or at least tried to, but he wouldn't let go. I knew my eyes were betraying my fear.  
  
He wasn't Jesse.  
  
He was Paul.  
  
"How dare you," he shouted rather loudly at me, "insult me, the one whom you belong to!"  
  
My eyes widened. I was suddenly very pissed off. "I don't belong to you, you freak! Let go of me-" I struggled to get out of his strong grip, but he wouldn't give. "I will never be your wife! I will never be owned by anyone!"  
  
He laughed cruelly. "Woman, you're already mine. And we will seal our eternal bond with a kiss…"  
  
He started lowering his head to mine…oh, crap this was just like in all those nightmares…only it was Jesse's noggin coming at me, but it was still Paul…  
  
"NOOOOO, YOU *ASSHOLE!!!!!"  
  
A quiet laugh rumbled in his chest as his lips finally touched mine.   
  
And I knew it was all over. I waited miserably, my lips pressed against his, waited for those final bonds to come, like they always had in my sleep…  
  
And then I opened my eyes, realizing that nothing was happening. Jesse met my eyes with his own, which were only an inch from mine considering we were still lip-locked. His eyes were filled with mirth.  
  
"You…mother…I hate you…" I pushed away from his chest with both hands, and fell to the floor on my butt as he let me slip easily out of his arms this time. I could only sputter in shock as Jesse burst into uncontrollable laughter beside me.  
  
"Ah, querida!" he was saying in between laughs. "You-you actually thought that-that I was possessed?" More laughter. "That I was-PAUL???"  
  
He seemed to find this particularly hilarious as he broke into fresh peals. I felt my face burning up and turned away from him, sitting Indian-style, muttering darkly.  
  
I couldn't believe I had fallen for that stupid trick.  
  
After a few minutes of hearing his annoyingly deep and sexy laughter, I decided to get up and go over to the bay window, where I sat and pouted immaturely. Hey, I had good reason to be pissed off at Jesse right now. He had almost made me wet myself.  
  
Eventually, Jesse came over to me and crouched in front of me, looking up into my eyes, his eyes still showing his laughter. "Come on, querida, it was only a joke-"  
  
"Yeah, butter me up!" I spat out at him. "After you scared the hell out of me a second ago-"  
  
"Susannah," he said, his voice still sounding amused as he sat beside me and drew me into his arms. I stayed still as a rock, arms folded, completely unresponsive. "Susannah, I'm sorry for frightening you."  
  
"Hmph," was all I could say. "Was Father D in on your stupid prank too?"  
  
"No…" Jesse purred as he started stroking the small of my back. I gasped quietly. He knew I loved it when he stroked me there.  
  
"How did you…change your…clothes…?" It was getting hard to speak. It felt too damn good.  
  
"Do you like them?" He whispered into my ear, causing me to shiver. "I got them just for you…"  
  
I trembled, finally leaning into him and forgetting my anger completely. You would too if you had this sexy guy right behind you, rubbing you so close to your-  
  
"Oh, god, Suze, I love you…" Jesse whispered behind me, his breath tickling along my neck.  
  
My eyes snapped open. I sat up, pulling myself away from Jesse. I narrowed my eyes at him as he looked back, his face full of confusion.  
  
"What is it now?" he asked, sounding frustrated.  
  
"You called me Suze," I informed him, starting to back away slowly. I may have been angry as hell, but I wasn't stupid.  
  
"So?" Jesse said nonchalantly.  
  
"So, you never call me that."  
  
Jesse grinned at me. "Oh, you little minx," he said in a purr. He stood up, and stretched his arms high up over his head. "And I was so close to having you…willingly," he said with a sigh of regret.  
  
My eyes widened at the last word…willingly.  
  
"You…you wouldn't-"  
  
"Wanna bet?" he said as he pulled off his shirt and threw it back on the window seat.  
  
All I could do was watch helplessly as the bastard walked towards me, slowly, seductively…  
  
  
  
A/N: Hmmmm, cliffie....review, now...oh, and thanks for NOT helping me, Amanda... 


	3. Obsession

A/N: Wow, I'm updating fast, aren't I? See, no one can complain about that. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. It makes me want to work harder on the story for you guys *hint hint*. Ok, ready, on the count of three, we'll all jump into Suze-Jesse-and-Demons Wonderland. 1...2...  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
I couldn't believe that this was actually happening to me. Jesse-er-Paul was strutting towards me like he owned the world, still with that stupid grin on his face (the kind I'd like to see on normal Jesse a little more often).  
  
"Oh, *shit, oh *shit, oh *shit-" I was cut off as Paul grabbed me round the waist and pulled me roughly against him. I would have enjoyed this immensely if only…well, you know. But as it was, it was still Jesse's body, and his muscles flexing beneath my touch gave me a thrill.  
  
"See? You want me just as much as I want you," Paul me, dark handsome Jesse eyes sparkling triumphantly.  
  
"I want Jesse, not you, you nimbus," I shot back angrily. "Try raping me in your own body instead of stealing Jesse's and let's see if I react the same way."  
  
Paul scowled. I really need to learn to bite my tongue sometimes. "Why, you little-"  
  
"And anyways," I said bitterly, "My family will hear me screaming."  
  
Paul's grin returned. "Oh, no they won't."  
  
The blood drained from my face in that moment. "Why-what did you do to them!" I yelled in his face. If this guy did anything to harm my family, I swear I would rip him to shreds right here.  
  
"As if you could," he remarked, earning a growl from me. "Anyway, they're fine. They'll be in a comatose-like state until I'm done with you, which should be about dawn."  
  
I could hardly speak in my rage. "WHAT-"  
  
"And," he interrupted me, leaning in and whispering into my ear, "When I'm done with you, you won't be able to walk straight for a week."  
  
Was that supposed some kind of twisted turn-on? Because it kind of worked. I just couldn't help the thrill that ran through my body. It may have been Paul, but it was still Jesse's voice, after all. Jesse deep, silky voice saying words I'd only heard him say in my deepest fantasies.  
  
"I think it will be the other way around," I growled out as Paul picked me up and carried me over to the bed, earning a chuckle from him. I didn't struggle. Yet. I was planning on kicking him in the groin when he least expected it.   
  
I was surprised when, instead of throwing me on the bed and ripping my clothes off, Paul laid me in the bed with surprising tenderness. He brushed aside a lock of my hair, smiling down at me. He was looking at me with…love…?  
  
"Please don't be afraid of me, Suze," he murmured. "I only want you to be mine…to be happy…"  
  
Hmmm…this wasn't the perverted Paul I was expecting. In fact, he was starting to act so much like Jesse, it was hard to remember that he was Paul.  
  
He's forcing you to have *sex, Suze. I don't think that's something Jesse would do.  
  
"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious why the guy was so obsessed with me.  
  
He blinked. "Why what?"  
  
I smirked at him. "Well, you're the "demon prince" here…read my mind and find out."  
  
He gave me a sidelong glance. "You could do it too, you know…you just have to train your mind."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I mean, why are you so hooked on me? Why won't you take a hint and find some pretty demon girl to like you back…like Bianca?"  
  
He made a face at me. "That *bitch?"  
  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why me?"  
  
He shrugged. "I can't explain it. It's just something about you…I've fallen in…love with you…" He looked at me, and his face hardened, almost like a mask. Or rather, Jesse's face, which he STOLE, damn him. "But don't worry about that now, querida," he said mockingly. "Just worry about what's I'm going to do to you tonight…"  
  
*Bastard. He's gonna kiss me, and then I'm going to belong to him…wait, didn't he kiss me earlier…?  
  
"Yes, I did," he said to me, crawling over me and hovering an inch over my face. I didn't like the closeness. I swallowed. "But I did it in your boyfriend's body. If I had kissed you in my true form, this little chase would be all over by now."  
  
And he started to kiss me again. And he kissed way too good. Almost as good as Jesse, if not just as good…no, definitely not as good…but close…  
  
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer-he smiled against my lips at this-and readied my knee at his crotch…  
  
And I bashed my knee with all my strength into him.  
  
He flew off of me with a cry that caught in his throat. I sat up and jumped off of the bed. "That's what you get, *asshole!!!"   
  
"Querida-" he said, and let out a strangled cry as he fell over in agony on the floor. But there was something about his voice…  
  
The accent! His accent was back! Jesse was back! Oh, joy, oh, rhapsody, oh *shit, I just kicked Jesse in the crotch-  
  
I ran to his side, panicking. "Oh, god, Jesse you're back! I'm so sorry, Paul was in your body and he was trying to-"  
  
"I know, Susannah," he choked out. "Don't worry about me-aye, carajo, punjeto, pendejo-yo voy a matar-!"  
  
"Jesse…sorry…" It was breaking my heart to see him in that pain. I rubbed his back soothingly.  
  
"Susannah-don't worry about me-that sonovabitch left my body when you kicked me, he didn't want to feel the pain-"  
  
He was now rocking back and forth on floor, his eyes tearing. "You have to get out, now, Susannah, before he comes back!"  
  
"But where-"  
  
"Anywhere! Just run!"  
  
I nodded at him, and ran into my closet, pulling on some sweat pants and a sweater, some sneaks, and my trusty ghost kit, just in case. I was opening the window, getting ready to leave when I turned back to Jesse, who still looked like he was in pain. I wished I could go to him and just rub…wait, let's not finish that thought. I was about to say sorry again when he gave me a look that said, "Are you stupid or something?" Wow, that's the second one I've gotten today.  
  
"You know Jesse, he's gone. I think it's safe-"  
  
"GO!"  
  
"I'm going!" I shouted back indignantly. I thought of my family…Paul said they would wake up at dawn…  
  
With one last look at Jesse-which I hoped contained my deepest, most sincere apology-I crawled out the window, climbed down, and ran.  
  
I felt like the biggest idiot in the world. I had no nowhere to go, no reason to run, I was just pretty much taking a jog around town. The nightlife was actually pretty interesting. Weird guys with Mohawks littered the streets…all junkies, I guess. It was while I was jogging down main street, which was now almost deserted, except for the junkies, that I heard people behind me screaming.  
  
I whipped around and saw…this really tall weird dude all dressed in black, with his hair spiked up really high, like two horns. Only he was levitating. Levitating towards me, with his arms raised high, like he was some kind of god, and…OMG, that was Paul!  
  
Some of the junkies dropped down to their knees and started muttering. It looked like they were worshipping Paul. I decided not to ask. Paul stopped in front of me and lowered himself to the ground. "Hello, Suze," he said with a pleasant smile.  
  
I took in his gothic outfit, the freaky hair, the black nail polish. And I burst out laughing. The junkies were eyeing me like I was crazy, but I couldn't help it…you have no idea how stupid Paul looked!  
  
I heard Paul growl, and suddenly I was lifted into the air-and I mean, off the ground and into the air-and brought to eye level with Paul. He wasn't even touching me, I realized. He was just lifting me with…his mind, I guess. For some reason I didn't find this amusing.  
  
"I suggest you run, Suze," he said right in my face, and dropped me to the ground. I landed painfully on my butt.   
  
"Ugh, I hate you!" I shouted, getting up carefully, rubbing my behind.  
  
"You don't mean that," he said in mock innocence.  
  
That was it. The last straw. I lunged at him. And nearly lost my balance and fell as he moved to the side with impossible speed.   
  
"Suze, you cannot fight me. Don't even try," he said with a laugh.  
  
"I-I can take you on anytime, anyplace, *asshole! And I could kill you with my eyes closed!" Whoa, a little overconfident there. Just a little.  
  
Paul laughed. He slid one foot forward a little and brought his hands up in the freakiest fighting stance I had ever seen. Oh god, what was I getting into?  
  
"This will be fun," Paul said with this crazy glint in his eye. Hmmm, challenging a demon prince to battle…not one of your brighter ideas, Suze.  
  
I got into my own fighting stance, every muscle in my body tensing, when suddenly-  
  
A very familiar feeling of floating came over me. The junkies gasped and started muttering some more. I could see the light that was emanating from body reflecting off of store windows…I could feel the wings growing from my sides…it was too unreal. I felt more powerful than I ever had before, like I could punch through rock…but then again, I felt that once before and I ended up breaking all the fingers in my right hand…  
  
I looked up at Paul, and once again saw my glowing form reflected in his surprised eyes. It was déjà vu. Only this time, instead of backing off in fear, Paul grinned widely. "Well, well, well…"  
A/N: REVIEW TIME!!! AND IF YOU DON'T YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN EVIL DEMON PRINCE PAUL AND SWEET ANGEL DESTINED TO SAVE THE WORLD SUZE!!!! 


	4. Light vs Dark

A/N: Heh, heh...hey guys...don't hate me, I had major writer's block. I tried to make this chappy extra long to repent. Um...quick note...Suze and Jesse get a little--er--wild in this chapter. Defintely not for little kids...um...hmmm...  
  
Angel Wings-Chapter 4  
  
Well, this isn't going too well, I thought wryly as Paul managed to grab a fistful of charred feathers. The fight had lasted less than a minute so far and he had already singed my wings. They were now twitching painfully.   
  
I leaped for a second story window ledge, beating my wings once for extra leverage, and swung myself up onto the roof. This was not cool. I felt like some kind of gothic Queen of the Night. This junkies had long since scattered, and it was just me and Paul in this dark back alley. How convenient. For him.  
  
I watched Paul from my position on the roof. I have to say that I was getting genuinely scared. He had this aura of dark power that emanating from him in waves. The air around him seemed charged with electricity. He looked at me with unnaturally wide grin, his eyes wild and…hungry.  
  
Ewww.  
  
"Oh, Suze," he said, sounding like he was drunk, "You've made it too simple for me…" He brought his fist up to his face and slowly inhaled the scent of my-er-fried feathers. "Mmmm…over easy." He looked up at me. "Just the way I like 'em…"  
  
I growled at the insult/innuendo. "Yeah, well, you're…well done!" Wow, I have no idea what that was supposed to mean.  
  
Paul threw back his head and laughed. He sounded just like one of those mad scientists who always do there crazy classic laugh…he kinda sounded like Dr. Evil, too. But whatever…the point is, it was creepy. While he laughed, he let the feathers slip from his fingers. They fluttered down slowly and were swept up by the wind, swirling and dancing upwards like some kind of ballet.  
  
Holy *shit, I have wings, I thought in sudden shock.  
  
Paul rolled his eyes at me. "How long did it take you to figure that out?"  
  
"You know," I shouted back at him, "If it's *sex you want, then a little pillow talk does help! And also,not trying to, you know, kill the girl!"  
  
I can't believe I just said that to Paul.  
  
He smirked. Uh, oh.  
  
In less than a second he had leaped in front of me. I barely had time to take a step back before he grabbed my wings and snapped them back. Hard. I grunted in pain, not wanting to give him the pleasure of screaming, but I think my grunt was just as bad for his libido. My eyes were tearing from the pain. He did break my wings, but he was holding them at a really odd angle. They felt like they would snap at the slightest pressure.  
  
Wings were becoming a real nuisance.  
  
Worse yet, Paul was holding them behind me, forcing my chest to stick out right against his. I'm sure he liked that. I felt like a puppet.  
  
"How's this for pillow talk?" he said huskily, and he whispered into my ear. My heart rate and breathing quickened and I could feel my face turning a deep crimson. I will kindly ask you not to make me repeat what he said. It was…naughty.  
  
But I had to say the naughtiness was a bit of a turn-on…  
  
It's a spell, Suze. He's putting you under an evil spell. The spell is making you kinda-sorta want him. It's not real…  
  
Keep saying that, Suze.  
  
He was starting to lean in, closing his eyes…you know, he was kind of cute…when I heard it.  
  
"Susannah!"  
  
Our eyes contact was broken. Me and Paul both looked down to see Jesse standing in the alley below us, looking back up at us. His eyes were all weird and sparkly. "Su-Susannah…?"  
  
Then I realized what was wrong with his eyes…they were filled with tears. Holy *shit-he thought I was making out with Paul!  
  
I was making Jesse cry.  
  
PAUL WAS MAKING JESSE CRY!  
  
The rage came out of nowhere. There was no time to think, I only reacted on some kind of angelic instinct (since I am, you know, an angel and all that), and I kneed Paul. This time, he actually received the pain, not my poor Jesse. He doubled over with a cry of, "Oh, *fuck!" and went down to his knees.  
  
I was REALLY pissed off.  
  
Me being the honorable lady that I am, I kicked him in the gut. He cried out in pain and fell to his side. I grabbed him by the collar if his…um…cloak, and lifted him up. I drew my fist back…  
  
"Don't you ever make my boyfriend cry again." Paul made a choking sound…well, I was chocking him. "EVER!"  
  
My fist slammed into his face. He fell without a sound, tumbled over the side of the roof, and a second later I heard a sick crunching sound ten stories below. I really didn't care if he was dead.  
  
"Susannah!" I heard Jesse gasp.  
  
Did I overdo it?  
  
Nah.  
  
I leaped over the edge of the building, and discovered that by angling my wings in a certain way, I could control the speed I went down. Jesse was still a few stories below, staring at Paul's motionless body. He didn't realize I was coming down. So I kind of fluttered my wings a little, and landed on Jesse's back, wrapping my legs around his waist piggyback style. He caught my legs like it was second-nature, probably because his many sisters had made him play horsie who-knew-how-many-times back on the ranch. I covered his eyes with my hands.  
  
"Guess who?" I said in a high pitched girly voice.  
  
"Susannah-" he laughed. "This isn't a good time for games-"  
  
"You win the grand prize," I whispered into his ear.  
  
"What-"  
  
I drew back a little then and put my mouth on the small of his neck. He froze. I flicked out my tongue, loving the way he shivered, and trailed my way, tongue flicking out, light kisses here and there, up to his ear, sucking lightly on his lobe. Somehow, my right hand had found its way under his shirt-he was still wearing the sexy outfit Paul had bestowed him with-and I was just starting to trail it down the length of his spine, when Jesse stopped me by flipping me around and slamming me against the wall-not painfully, though. He was pinning me against the wall with his entire body, his hand digging into my hips, his knee on my crotch. (A/N: I told you guys Suze and Jesse would be getting a little wild…) His eyes were about an inch from mine, and they were intense and focused on mine. Believe it or not, I…*ahem*…know this particular position quite well. It's one of my favorites.  
  
"Wow, you're an animal tonight," I murmured.  
  
Jesse smiled at me, resembling, I thought, a wolf cornering its prey. "I told you, querida,"-his low, husky growl sent a thrill through me…I usually have to work really hard to get him to use that voice-"that drives me crazy."  
  
"Yeah, I know," I said, once again in my innocent girly voice. "But I looove driving you crazy, Jesse."  
  
Jesse chuckled. "And I looove going crazy."  
  
AHHHHHHH, HE'S SO SEXY!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Jesse leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. "But I don't love going crazy in dark back alleys with an unconscious psycho right behind us."  
  
"He's not unconscious any more," came a voice from behind us. Paul was standing there, cover in blood, his clothes ripped into shreds. He was smiling, and his breathing was very heavy. It looked like an effort for him to stand. "You-Jesse, you are going back where you belong!"  
  
And a very familiar portal, full of swirling smoke, opened above our heads.  
  
It was too much. The world exploded in a flash of brilliant white, my wings were falling apart, Jesse was holding onto me, somewhere I could hear Paul screaming, and I could hear myself screaming, too. Was I in pain? It didn't feel painful…it felt strange…it felt like…dying…  
  
At least Jesse didn't seem to be in pain…the blast of energy was passing right through him. Because he's dead? No…not because he's dead…  
  
And then…there was silence. There was nothing. I was floating in limbo, teetering on the edge of the abyss…but I was hanging on. Somewhere far away, I heard Paul stuttering, "You…b-b-#####-ch…w-whe-re did that c-co-me f-rommm…!" Then I heard Jesse say, "*Fuck you," and there was a crunching sound, then someone falling to the ground…  
  
And I went into the darkness smiling.  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
I was laying in my bed, aware of the early morning gray hovering in my room. I could see them through the little cave of my comforter. I watched quietly, pretending I was still asleep. I'm a master at this sort of thing.  
  
"Why weren't you there?!" Jesse demanded in an angry whisper. "You said you would be thee to protect her when she was in danger, so WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?"  
  
Bianca watched him with no emotion. "She didn't need me. She had you."  
  
"Oh, great help I am! All I can do is punch him…and that's AFTER Susannah has already beaten him to within an inch of his life!"  
  
The corners of Bianca's mouth lifted. "You can do a lot more than just punch, Jesse."  
  
Jesse's brows rose, but he said nothing. Bianca continued.  
  
"Normally, demons only possess living people…people with physical manifestations of themselves so it's easier to "drive" them around. You…are pure spirit. In order to possess you, Paul had to leave his body in a coma-like state, and actually meld with your soul. Meaning that for the time that you were possessed, a new person was formed. Neither you nor Paul, but a combination of the two."  
  
Jesse blinked. "Wait-you mean that that wasn't only Paul trying to…um…force her to-to do-to do that? Part of it…half of it…was me?"  
  
Bianca was smiling now. "The desire was there."  
  
"To rape her?" Jesse sputtered comically.  
  
"Well, the part where she was actually forced against her will was Paul. But you still had the desire."  
  
"I did not," he said darkly. He crossed his arms and leaned against my bed post.  
  
"You can't lie to me. Your mind is an open book to me. And what I'm seeing going on in there looks pretty ki-"  
  
"Alright!" Jesse interrupted. I couldn't tell in the darkness, but he could have been blushing. "Maybe I did, then. She's been teasing me since the day I met her, so why not!"  
  
My toes curled at what Jesse had just revealed. I could feel the heat rising to my face, and…somewhere else. But let's not go there.  
  
Bianca looked amused. "There is no reason why not, so just go on, throw her up against a wall and screw her brains out. It would do you both some good."  
  
I couldn't help it. The thought of him doing that was too much. I shifted a little in the bed. Bianca and Jesse both looked at me. I shut my eyes again. There was about a minute of silence, where I'm pretty sure they were both staring at me intently. And then…  
  
"Suze, you might want to get up for this," Bianca said.  
  
Oops.  
  
I sat up, blushing. I still had the mental image of Jesse and me, up against a wall…well, you know. And I was pretty sure my mind was an "open book" to Bianca as well. I looked at Jesse, smiling sheepishly. "Um…hi."  
  
"How much did you hear?" Jesse said, and he was definitely blushing.  
  
"Um…" Think, Suze. Think. "You yelled 'so why not!' kind of loud, and I woke up…"  
  
"You're lying," Jesse said. He squinted suspiciously.  
  
"Am not!" The floorboards were suddenly very interesting to me. "How would you know?"  
  
"Because I can-I can…see your…thoughts…"  
  
"What?" I said, now squinting suspiciously at him as well. "Oh yeah? What am I thinking of right now?"  
  
I concentrated ####### bringing up a mental image of a flower blowing in a slight breeze…but right behind it, I couldn't help it, were me and Jesse up against a wall.  
  
Jesse's jaw just kind of hung open, and he was blushing…but his eyes were glued to the ###### movie playing inside my head. I could feel him inside my mind, probing at and feeding that image, until he was taking control-whether purposely or not, I don't know-of the mental Jesse. The mental Jesse was now touching me down there, and I gasped as I really felt it…the sensation of feathery light brushes against my you-know-what. I looked up sharply, and saw Jesse watching me from beneath hooded eyes…  
  
"I'm glad you two have discovered the wonders of mind *sex, but I have some things to tell you two and there isn't much time."  
  
I snapped out of the trance, and me and Jesse turned our heads to look at Bianca. "Mind *sex?" we both said at the same time.  
  
Bianca was totally business like. "Yes, mind *sex, and I'm sure you two will have lots of fun later on, but-"  
  
"How can I do that?" Jesse asked. "How can I…go into her mind like that?"  
  
"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" She sighed. "Okay, listen closely. The point of my telling you about the soul melding was that, when Paul finally did leave you, he inevitably left a part of himself with you."  
  
Jesse was silent. And then… "What?"  
  
Yeah, what?  
  
Bianca said quietly, "You're one of us now."  
  
Jesse's eyes widened, but other than that, no reaction. "What?" he said again, his voice much quieter.  
  
Yeah, what?  
  
Bianca sighed. "You're part demon now, Jesse. You just didn't realize it in the alley, so you didn't fight Paul."  
  
Jesse looked down. "I…couldn't have beaten him, anyway."  
  
"No, you don't understand what I'm saying." Bianca was talking urgently now. "You are bonded with Paul. Two halves of a whole. Power split 50/50 down the middle. You are a demon, a powerful one, and your only equal is Paul.  
  
Jesse's arms dropped. "…What?"  
  
Yeah, wha...WHAT?!  
  
A/N: Ok, then. Hope that was good. You know what actually loosened my writer's block? I went here to see if there was any new mediator fics to read, and I saw that I had 28 reviews. And I felt so bad that I started writing. So, the moral of the story is, REVIEW, AND EVENTUALLY WRITERS WILL UPDATE. We need to feel loved, people. I mean, we're doing this for free.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed me. I really do feel loved right now...I promise that even if I have writer's block (which I do), the next chapter will be out soon.  
  
TTFN 


	5. Runaway Demon

A/N: See everyone? I got this chappy out real fast!  
  
Angel Wings-Chapter 5  
  
"So, you're a demon, huh?" I said, adjusting the collar of my turtleneck.  
  
Jesse sighed, looking out the bay window, at the ocean. "Yes, for the thousandth time, that seems to be the case, Susannah."  
  
"Well, I don't get it," I said with a smirk, pulling on my knee-high leather boots. "I mean, you just look so…not-demonish. Where's the dark aura and all that? Where's the power?"  
  
Jesse said nothing, but he didn't turn to face me, and I saw a muscle in his jaw clench.  
  
"Jesse, why don't you give it a try…?" I was really curious to see if Jesse really had power like Paul's.  
  
"No, Susannah." He continued to stare gloomily out the window. The weather didn't seem to be helping his dark mood. It was dark and muggy out. A fine mist was hanging over Carmel-by-the-Sea, and it was humid as hell. Well, the weather wasn't doing much for my mood, either.  
  
"Jesse," I said. He still wouldn't turn. He continued to stare out the window, and there was a low, distant rumble of thunder. "Jesse," I tried again. I took a step toward him. He seemed to be oblivious to my presence. "Jesse, look at me, dammit!" I finally yelled.  
  
Jesse slowly turned to look at me, and it was like I was looking at a stranger.  
  
"Jesse…?"  
  
"This isn't right," he said solemnly. "It isn't safe for you Susannah…I can't lose you…"  
  
"J-Jesse-please, you're scaring me…"  
  
His eyes seemed distant and gray, and they looked at me without focusing. He slowly stood up from the bay window, wobbled, and took a deep breath.  
  
"Jesse, what wrong with you?" I said, and I ran forward to put my arms around him…and he pushed me roughly away. I gasped and fell to the floor. Spike the cat (A/N: thought I forgot about him, didn't you!) was hissing at Jesse as though he were a different person. And I realized he might be.  
  
Jesse took another deep, ragged breath, and looked at me again with those same, alien eyes. "This isn't right," he said again. "We…we should have been normal-teenagers…grow up together…fall in love, marriage…not this-this isn't right…"  
  
Another one of those deep, ragged breaths.  
  
"He's in me now," Jesse continued, now staring at some spot above my head. "He's in me now, and I'm fighting him…he's screaming…I can't keep him out…I can't keep the darkness out…I'm a demon now…I can feel the power-wants to be freeeee…"  
  
I slowly stood up, slowly backed away towards the door. "Is that you, Jesse?"  
  
He looked back at me and grinned. "Of course it's me, Susannah."  
  
I kept backing up towards the door.  
  
Jesse sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm leaving…" he said.  
  
"What?" I stopped backing up.  
  
"I'm leaving." Another deep ragged breath. "Leaving…I can never see you again…"  
  
The tears came before I could stop them. I rushed forward again, tried to grab his hand, but he shoved me away again. I fell the floor, but this time, I stayed there, curled up in a ball, and I started sobbing.   
  
"Jesse-what the hell is WRONG with you? Why do you want to leave me? Where will you GO?!"  
  
There was silence. I opened my eyes. Where Jesse was a moment ago there was only a swirling cloud of dust.  
  
"Away…" his voice said, and it seemed to come from everywhere at once.  
  
"Jesse!" I screamed. "JESSE!"  
  
"Yo, SUZE!" came Dopey's voice from outside the door. "Everything alright? Who's Jesse? Are you getting raped or something?"  
  
I stood up, and wiped my tears away on the sleeve of my shirt. "Yeah, I'm fine." My voice was congested.  
  
"We're leaving now, so come downstairs…are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Never been…better, Dop-Brad."  
  
"Alrighty, then…um…hurry up or we'll leave without you."  
  
I waited until I heard his footsteps clunking down the steps. Then I turned and looked out the window. The day was so gray…like Jesse's eyes…  
  
"Suze, what's wrong?" Cee Cee whispered during Calculus.   
  
"Nothing, everything's fine. Life is good," I said back, with just a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"Well, ok…you seem kind of…I dunno…spaced out or something…"  
  
I laughed. A little too loudly.   
  
"May I help you, Susan?" Mr. Vercani said, looking at me with one perfectly plucked eyebrow arched quizzically.   
  
I laughed again. I couldn't help it.  
  
"Yeah, you can help me…get some rogaine, your hairline's receding, and I can't see the board because of the glare from you forehead."   
  
There were a few chuckles. But I didn't really give a *fuck.  
  
"Susan," Mr. Vercani said, sounding annoyed, "How would you like to join me for detention?"  
  
"I'd love to," I said, and I stood up and walked out of the class, ignoring the whispers that followed me out.  
  
This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. Is was like…a dream…no, a nightmare…everywhere I went, I saw him…like a fleeting shadow, only I couldn't catch him…   
  
It was when my hand touched the door to Father Dom's office that the tears came again. As I pushed the door open and stepped in, Father Dom looked up. The surprise at once transformed his worried face into something almost comical.  
  
"Susannah…what's wrong?" He stood. "Why are you crying?"  
  
"He's gone," I muttered.  
  
Father Dom came around and stood in front of me. "Who's gone? Are you hurt?"  
  
"I looked up and Father Dom's face, and the tears finally spilled out of my eyes. "Oh, Father D-JESSE'S GONE!!!!!"  
  
I threw my arms around him, and sobbed into his robes. He tentatively started patting my back, saying things like, "There, there now," clearly not knowing what the hell he was doing. But nothing could make me feel better. Nothing could make the pain go away.   
  
Jesse was gone.  
  
The thought brought fresh tears. I just sobbed my heart out (and my snot) on Father Dom. It was embarrassing, but…it felt so much better than just letting it sit inside of me.  
  
When I finally pulled away, I gazed down at the floor, sniffed loudly, and said, "Sorry."  
  
"It's quite alright," Father Dom said, handing me a box of tissues. I blew my nose loudly. "So…what happened that led up to this…event?"  
  
"Well-" *sniff* "-remember how Jesse was possessed by Paul?"  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Yeah, and he tried to rape me-"  
  
"Rape you?!"  
  
"Yeah, but I fought him, me and Jesse fought him-"  
  
"You fought Paul?!"  
  
"Yeah, and then-" I looked up and stopped talking. Father Dom looked like he was going to have a heart attack.  
  
"And…then…what?" he said, his voice shaky.  
  
"And then," I said slowly, "when I woke up this morning Jesse was all weird…kinda sad, too…he would let me touch him…said he had to go away…"  
  
I could feel fresh tears threatening, but I held them back.  
  
Father Dom sat back down at his desk, holding onto the arms of his chair to keep steady. "And…could he be…possessed…again, perhaps…?"  
  
"That's what I was thinking…except now that he's a demon…"  
  
"JESSE'S A DEMON?!?!?!?!"  
  
I'm pretty sure the whole school heard that one.  
  
Father Dom was now a light shade of green. "…yeah…" I said carefully.   
  
"How-d-did that hap-p-pen?" Father Dom said, twitching oddly.  
  
I eyed him for a moment. Should I tell him? He might just pass out…but that might be doing him a mercy…  
  
"Well," I said, "when Paul possessed Jesse, he kinda…well, he kinda left a part of himself with Jesse. So, now, they're…bonded, I guess you could say."  
  
"Bonded?" Father Dom said, more curious than shocked. "Bonded," he said in tones of wonder. "Bonded!" he said happily. "They're bonded! They're bonded! The world is saved!"  
  
Father D had finally cracked.  
  
"It's not something to be happy about, you know," I mumbled.  
  
"Of course it is, Susannah!" He got up and began pacing the room. "Don't you see, Susannah? Jesse can stand up to Paul! He won't let Paul take over the universe! And he won't let Paul take you!"  
  
"You're forgetting one thing, Father D," I said glumly.  
  
"What's that?" he said, no longer pacing.  
  
"Jesse hightailed it. He's gone."  
  
"We're doomed," Father Dom said, sitting back at his desk. "Unless we exorcise Paul…"  
  
"No!" I stood up. "No more exorcisms!"  
  
"It was just a thought…"  
  
"I've had bad experiences with exorcisms! No more exorcisms!"  
  
"Alright, alright, no exorcism then. Sit down, and 'chill'," he said with a smile. Modern lingo doesn't work with him, I noted.   
  
"So there's only one other alternative," Father Dom said.  
  
I sat back down and sighed.  
  
"We must find Jesse!"  
  
Paul smiled. Everything was going according to plan. It was time to move into phase two…  
  
"Your highness, great Unholy One!" one of the guards called.  
  
Paul sighed and sat down on his huge, ebony throne. "What is it?" he said in a bored tone.  
  
"The informant has arrived," the guard said, eyeing the ball of black energy Paul was playing with warily.  
  
Paul smiled and squeezed the energy in his fist. "Excellent. Bring her in immediately."  
  
"Yes, great Unholy One!"  
  
The guard rushed out of the throne room. A moment later, the informant stepped in.  
  
"Ah, Bianca, so good of you to see me!" Paul said. "What news do you have for me?"  
  
Bianca bowed her head. "Suze is still under the impression that she has some kind of demon army protecting her. She has full trust in me. She has no idea that I will lead her directly to you."  
  
Paul's smile widened. "What about Jesse?"  
  
Bianca smiled. "He's run away in a lame attempt to protect Suze. Don't worry, though-if all goes according to plan, you'll have back the power that Jesse stole from you in no time."  
  
"Yes," Paul said, seething. "That's the only reason they were able to defeat me the way they did…he took my POWER!"  
  
The last word echoed through the cold throne room. Paul looked down at Bianca, who was kneeling before him respectfully. "You've done excellent. When I own the universe, and Suze at last is mine…" his eyes glazed over as he thought about it, then then he looked back down at Bianca, "I promise you will have a position of power."  
  
"Your kindness is much appreciated," Bianca said, and walked out of the throne room, muttering under her breath, "Idiot."  
  
Paul watched her as she left the throne room. "Idiot," he muttered under his breath.  
  
He leaned back lazily, and threw one boot-clad foot over the arm of his throne. He chuckled.  
  
"Soon, Susannah. Soon."  
  
A/N: Oh, no! What are those gosh-darn demons plotting?! For once, I have no writer's block, so I actually know what they're plotting! Rejoice! The next chapter will be out as soon as I get...oh, say...six reviews, atleast. Is that so much to ask? So, REVIEW. Now.  
  
P.S.--As a tribute to my dear friend Amanda, Strutting Rogaine was in this chappy ^_^  
  
TTFN (I just looove Tigger!) 


	6. Return

A/N: Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! Well, I got my six reviews in less than a day, and I was so happy that I set off to work on the next chappy immediately. I'd just like to warn you, that there is some lime near the end of this. For those of you don't know, it means some sexual content. So if you're offended by that kind of thing, guess what? IT'S NOT MY PROBLEM! ^_^ j/k, actually it is my problem, cuz then I get less reviews, and then I get mad. Well, you have been warned...  
  
Angel Wings-Chapter 6  
  
I managed to successfully avoid Cee Cee and Adam for the rest of the day. I pretty much avoided conversations with anyone, only talking when I absolutely had to. If people thought I was acting strange, they didn't say anything. It was as I was whipping out my umbrella to trudge home in the rain that they finally caught up to me.   
  
"Suze!"  
  
I tried to pretend that I didn't hear, but there was no ignoring them.  
  
"Suze, wait up!"  
  
I turned with a sigh. Cee Cee came running from down the hall, Adam at her heels. He was starting to follow her around, I noted with the barest hint of a smile. They slowed to a stop in front of me. Both of them bent over, hands on their knees, gasping for air. I couldn't help but smile.  
  
"You know, you guys really need to get into shape."  
  
Cee Cee glared up at me. "Thanks for reminding me."  
  
"No prob," I said.  
  
Cee Cee stood up. "Listen, Suze…um-"  
  
"Look, everything's fine, alright?" I snapped. I didn't want to deal with this right now. I couldn't deal with it. "I just…really need to get home now-"  
  
"Everything is not fine," Adam cut in. "Everything is definitely NOT fine. Cee Cee told me you were acting weird today, and I definitely see it now-"  
  
"MY LIFE IS *FUCKING PERFECT!"  
  
I don't know where it came from. But the words exploded from me before I could stop them. The crowded hall went quiet. Everyone was staring at me. For an instant I thought I saw him in the crowd, but, as always, my mind was playing tricks on me.  
  
"Susannah, you will watch your language in the halls, please," piped the old bird-like librarian.  
  
Cee Cee and Adam were the worst. They were looking at me like they had never seen me before. I looked Cee Cee in the eye, and said quietly, "I'm sorry, ok? You're right, everything's not perfect. But I can't tell you why…" I took a step back, towards the exit. My eyes were slowly filling with tears. "I just can't."  
  
I turned and pushed my way through the door. A blast of icy rain hit me full in the face, mixing with my tears. I slammed the door shut against all those eyes and began walking briskly home, my umbrella still in my hand, forgotten. His name was a whisper on my lips…  
  
I cried softly, my tears hidden by the rain.  
  
"You horrible *bastard…I hate you!" I started running. "I HATE YOU!"  
  
He waltzed into my life, all polite and *fucking smiles. He saved me, he understood me, he made me fall in love with him. He kissed me, he touched me, he ripped my *fucking heart out from my chest! I gave myself to him…willing to make the ultimate sacrifice…  
  
And he left me. He just abandoned me. He crushed my stolen heart. He must have planned it all along. He disgusts me. I hate him more than anything.  
  
"I'd rather have Paul than you, you *bastard," I said, an iciness in my voice that sounded foreign to my own ears.  
  
Please don't say that, querida. Please say you didn't mean that…  
  
Is this what it feels like to have your heart broken…?  
  
6 months later…  
  
"Pass me the lotion, Cee," I said.  
  
Cee Cee lifted her hand, blindly rummaging through her bag without tearing her eyes from this month's issue of Cosmo. She tossed me the bottle and I lifted the shoulder straps of my bikini, rubbing the lotion on. I popped the cap back on and flipped back at Cee Cee. It hit her square in the forehead. She glared at me.  
  
"Suze, I'm trying to learn how to get the man of my dreams, here," she said coldly.  
  
"Really?" I said with interest, and moved over to sit by her, and had a look at the article. "Let's see…Eye contact, smile, laugh at his jokes, but not too loudly, listen to him talk about himself, invite him to the movies…Cee Cee, I don't know if you realize this, but you've already got Adam wrapped around your finger."  
  
Cee Cee smiled slowly and looked at me with hope. "Really? I mean, I don't know…"  
  
"Cee Cee, look at him. Wherever you go, he follows. Whenever you appear unexpectedly around him, he drops whatever he's holding. He stutters around you. And he's buying us hotdogs, for god's sake! He's got it pretty bad, Cee."  
  
"But Cosmo says-"  
  
"Forget what Cosmo says. Listen to what I say. I know this stuff."  
  
She looked at me slyly. "How would you know this stuff?"  
  
"Because-" Then I realized exactly why I knew this stuff, and I looked away quickly, already feeling the familiar stinging behind my eyes. "Well, I've read enough Danielle Steel to know…"  
  
Cee Cee gazed out at the crashing waves, behind which the sun was beginning to set. It was a gorgeous summer day. My last summer as a rebel teen.  
  
"So, are you excited? I mean, we're going to college, Suze…"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"HOTDOGS! Get yer hotdogs, right here ladies!"  
  
Cee Cee and I both turned. Adam was walking across the sand towards us, balancing a tray of hotdogs like a waiter.  
  
"Here ya go, Suze," he said, handing me a hotdog. He turned the Cee Cee. In a surprisingly suave gesture, he lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. I saw their eyes meet, and Cee Cee blushed. "And here is your gourmet hotdog, madam," he said, handing her a hotdog with a smile.  
  
"Thank you," Cee Cee said quietly.  
  
I must admit, Adam had turned into quite the dreamboat over the years. He had himself a set of washboard abs not unlike Je-um, Brad Pitt's, and he had a nice face. A very nice face. Almost as nice as…well, it was a nice face. Cee Cee had also blossomed over the years. In my opinion, she was prettier than Kelly now. Way prettier.   
  
We sat there munching our food for a while, watching the surfers fall off their boards. When I was full, I leaned back on the blanket and watched the sun go down. "There goes the sun…"  
  
"And I say, it's alright!" Adam practically shouted. Cee Cee laughed, but I just kept staring at the sun, which had streaked the sky a golden blood-red color. It wasn't alright. It would never be alright.  
  
Ever since we-um, I fought Paul that day so long ago, there had been no word from him. Was he planning something? Or maybe he really was dead…  
  
No word from Je-um, well…he just kind of…disappeared, too. Not that I mind. Oh, no, I don't mind at all. I'll bet he's *fucking some hot demoness right now. Which is way more than he ever did for me. Way more than I ever wanted him to do for me. I…never wanted him at all. He's an *asshole.  
  
I realized I had been clenching my jaw shut, and I relaxed. *Asshole…  
  
"Hey, Suze, is something wrong?" Cee Cee said.  
  
"Huh?" I turned to look at her. "Oh-no, nothing's wrong. I just…" I sighed. "…really need a boyfriend, I guess."  
  
Cee Cee brightened. "Hey, we could totally find you a boyfriend, right Adam?"  
  
"What?" Adam said, and I realized with a smile he had been staring at Cee Cee from the corner of his eye. "Oh, yeah, yeah, of course…"  
  
"No, it's alright, I'll find one myself…"  
  
"Don't you start arguing about it!" Cee Cee said, starting to pack up her stuff. "I know plenty of hot guys that would be very interested in you."  
  
I started packing up as well, noting how Adam's brows had gone up a little when Cee Cee had mentioned knowing plenty of hot guys.  
  
"Ok, ok," I said, getting up and lifting my bag onto my shoulders. "I'll meet a few guys. Only because you're so stubborn."  
  
"Great, I'll introduce you to Jesse first, and-"  
  
My heart skipped a beat. "Who?" I said, freezing.  
  
"Um, Jesse, my cousin. He just moved from Arizona…are you ok…?"  
  
I stared at her for a moment, then laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah, I'm great…I was just wondering for a second if you-um-meant someone that I kind of know…"  
  
"Oh, you know a guy named Jesse? He's not from our town, is he?" she said, as we began walking towards Adam's car.  
  
"Um-no. He…moved away last year."  
  
"Oh, that's too bad. Did you guys have a thing going on?"  
  
I shifted uncomfortably. "Um, what do you mean?"  
  
"Ya know, were you like, a couple?"  
  
"Oh. Um-I guess you could say that." I loved him with all my heart, and he left me, I felt like saying.  
  
"Oh. That sucks that he had to move away. Hate when that happens."  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"Hey, ladies, can you wait up?" Adam called from behind us. He looked kind of annoyed. "Oh, don't mind me," he said, noticing that we had fallen silent, "You two just keep on talking about your hot guys-"  
  
"Adam, would you like to go see a movie with me on Saturday?" Cee Cee interrupted. What ensued was a Kodak moment. Adam dropped everything he was holding, namely the blankets and towels, and his and Cee Cee's bags, and just gawked at Cee Cee. Cee Cee turned a bright red, and said, "Ok, well, if you didn't want to go…"  
  
Adam nearly fell over. "No, no, I'd love to go! Um, pick you up at seven?"  
  
Cee Cee smiled. "Sure. That'd be great!"  
  
Then they just kind of stood there, looking at each other and smiling, until my voice brought them both back to earth.  
  
"Aw, how romantic! It's about time you two hooked up."  
  
Adam visibly colored, and bent down to gather all the things he had dropped. Cee Cee, still smiling, bent down to help him.   
  
That was when I saw him.   
  
He was about a block away, dressed all in black, leaning against a tree, his arms folded over his chest. Watching me.   
  
My breath caught in my throat, and my shoulder bag slipped onto the ground.  
  
"Oh…my…god…"  
  
He turned away, and crossed the street. I watched him until he got to the other side. That was when a huge truck went behind him, obstructing my view of him. When it passed, he was gone.  
  
Again.  
  
I could feel the blood draining from my face. I bent over and picked up my shoulder bag with my trembling hands. I swallowed, still staring at the spot he had been a moment ago.  
  
Then I heard Cee Cee and Adam start giggling. I turned, and there they were, laughing for no reason, Adam holding everything again, and Cee Cee holding her bottle of lotion.  
  
"What'd I miss?" I asked, trying to convince myself it had been my imagination.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Cee Cee said, still giggling. "Just, we had everything all packed up, and we were getting up, and my lotion fell out of the bag, and…well…it was just kinda funny."  
  
I quirked an eyebrow. "Wow, I guess it's true what they say. Love makes you stupid."  
  
Cee Cee glared, but she smiled at the same time. Behind her, Adam was fidgeting, blushing again.  
  
And in that moment, I missed Jesse more than I ever had before.  
  
Midnight found me wide-awake and restless in my bed. I couldn't get to sleep for the life of me, and yet I was dead tired. And it wasn't like there were any more nightmares of Paul keeping me awake…it was just…well, obviously, it was what had happened today. You know, seeing…him. Seeing Jesse. Seeing the *bastard after-what?-six months? If he thought he was just gonna get me back, no problem, after abandoning me, he had another thing coming.   
  
Something pounced on me and mewed softly. I couldn't see in the darkness, but I knew it was Spike. Spike and I had become quite good buddies after Jesse's disappearing act. He was actually pretty sweet, as long as you were his one and only. And since his ex-one and only was gone, that left me. Poor Spikey.  
  
I started stroking him absently. "What do you think, Spike? Think I'm crazy?"  
  
Spike began purring softly, and I chuckled. "Well, I guess I'd have to be, if I'm talking to a cat."  
  
He mewed again, and fell over onto his back, stretching lazily, and imploring me with his eyes to scratch his tummy.   
  
"Alright, alright, you psychotic kitty." I moved my hand and scratched his tummy. He was starting to sound like Andy's vibrating massager. I sighed. "Do you still miss him, Spike?"  
  
Spike let out what sounded like a whimper.  
  
"Yeah," I said, and I took a deep breath as the back   
  
of my eyes prickled for the second time today.   
  
"Yeah…me too, buddy."  
  
That was when the weird thing happened. It was like a wave of shadow fell across the whole room, almost like a car had just passed by or something, but none actually did. It only lasted about two seconds, but to me, it seemed to last much longer. I shot up into a sitting position. Spike fell off of me, hissing. He wasn't hissing at me though. He was hissing at a spot on the window seat, it seemed. My eyes glued to the window seat, I slowly reached my hand to the side of my bed, pulling out baseball bat…  
  
"Who's there?" I said loudly, keeping my voice steady and firm. "Paul?"  
  
A voice in the back of my mind was shouting "IT'S JESSE, YOU IDIOT!", but I ignored it. I was seriously hoping it wasn't. I found myself dreading having to face him for some reason.  
  
Spike leaped off the bed then, no longer hissing. He leaped onto the window seat, and started sniffing around suspiciously. Then, as if some hunch had been confirmed, he lied down and started purring.  
  
There was no denying who it was, now. But where was he? I mean, ok, he's on the window seat. But why can't I see him, then?  
  
I got up slowly, and, still wielding the baseball bat, I walked over to the window seat. I was getting a little scared, now. For some reason, I would rather have Paul leap out at me than Jesse. At least if it was Paul, I could hit him with the bat. If it were Jesse, what would I do? Spit at him? Curse him out? Run into his arms and kiss him? Tell him hate him? Tell him I love him? Or maybe hit him with the bat anyway?  
  
Spike started sounding like Andy's vibrating massager again.  
  
I reached the window seat, and reached out my hand. Nothing but air. I hesitantly touched the window seat, bat still at the ready. Nothing. Then why was Spike lying there so happy? His eyes were closed in what seemed to be great pleasure. Like somebody was giving him a great backrub. I put my hand on his back, not knowing what to expect. An invisible hand, maybe? Nothing. Except that when my hand touched Spike, his eyes snapped open and he hissed at me.  
  
"Ok, ok, sorry," I mumbled, lowering the bat. "Jeez, you don't have to-"  
  
I gasped as strong arms suddenly wrapped themselves around me from behind. "I was waiting for you to put that thing down," he said gruffly into my ear.  
  
I shiver went down my spine. "J-Jesse-"  
  
"The one and only," he whispered, and his grip on me tightened. I couldn't explain it, but he seemed different. I didn't get the same feeling of security that he used to give me. He made me feel jumpy. Like it was Paul holding me, not him. But it was Jesse. Somehow I just knew.  
  
"Thought you'd forget me, didn't you?" he whispered again, now rocking me slowly from side to side. "Thought you'd find someone better?"  
  
"You-you abandoned me-"  
  
A low primal growl came deep in his throat. Spike was observing all this from the window seat, still purring loudly.  
  
And out of nowhere, the fear was replaced with anger. I struggled to get out of his unwanted embrace, but I couldn't for the life of me. He chuckled at my efforts.  
  
"You left me, Jesse! Don't come back thinking I'll be all happy to see you. You were my prince charming once, don't expect to be that ever again! Now let me go!"  
  
To my surprise, he did. I stumbled forward a little, almost falling. In fact, I would have fallen, if some kind of invisible, wind-like force hadn't blown me upright again.  
  
"Oh, that's right, you're a big bad demon now. I almost forgot."  
  
I turned, and there he was. And he didn't look like the Jesse I knew and loved at all. He had on leather pants and boots, and what looked like a silk tee. Over it was black leather long coat. He looked GOOD in leather. All he needed was a pair of glasses to look like a guy from the Matrix movies.   
  
What he was wearing wasn't the big difference though. For one thing, his hair was kind of spiky. Not crazy spikes like Paul had when we-when I fought him, but just the barest hint of spikiness. Perfect on him. His smile (which was he smiling very sexily at me right now) was slower and more sensuous, more confident, somehow. And then his eyes…were dark and kind of shadowed…and completely emotionless. Overall, he was completely irresistible to any woman. Any woman, except me.  
  
"What the *fuck happened to you?!" I practically shouted. "You-you're not Jesse anymore! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were possessed by Paul again!"  
  
Jesse did that slow smile again. "I've been around…finding out about my powers…you know…"  
  
"No, I don't know." I sat down on my bed. "Enlighten me."   
  
I realized with a sick lurch that I had said that same thing to Paul when he had first come to my room.  
  
Jesse removed his long coat with what seemed like deliberate slowness, all the while keeping his eyes on me. I hated it, but…I could feel myself getting wet. Jesse threw his coat on the window seat, right on top of Spike. Spike gave an indignant hiss and jumped out the window. Jesse didn't seem to notice. He slowly started walking towards me.  
  
Damn, he was FINE.  
  
I looked out the window with sudden interest as he sat beside me. "Susannah, why are you afraid of me?"  
  
"I'm not afraid of you," I said stubbornly, staring at the moon. Jesse's hand brushed softly against my upper thigh. I jumped about a foot into the air. "Yes you are," he said pointedly.  
  
I looked into his eyes. The previous coolness had been replaced by something much more Jesse-like. I relaxed a little. "Ok, I admit, you're making me a little nervous. You're acting weird."  
  
He looked down. "Sorry if I'm acting differently. I just spent six months in the company of demons. And they're not much of a polite society, if you know what I mean."  
  
I blinked. "You were with demons?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, putting one boot-clad foot up on my bed, which I didn't mind at all. He looked hot in that position. "Bianca offered to teach me how to use my powers, so I've been staying at her place and training in what I guess you would call Hell. But it's actually not as awful as they say."  
  
"So," I said, folding my arms over my chest. "You've been living with Bianca, have you?"  
  
He gave me a sidelong glance. "Susannah, are you jealous?"  
  
I sniffed. "Maybe."  
  
He chuckled, and I'm saddened to say that my nipples hardened at the sound. "Well, I will admit that she tried to seduce me, but I completely ignored her advances."  
  
"Uh, huh," I said, unconvinced.  
  
"Really, I did." He lifted his eyes and looked into mine. God, I forgot what it was like to lose myself in those dark, intense pools…  
  
"Was it true what you said?" he said suddenly, anxiety lacing his voice.  
  
"What did I say?"  
  
He looked down at the floor, and his voice broke slightly as he spoke. "That…you would rather have Paul than me?"  
  
"Wha…" But then my eyes widened as I realized what he was talking about. "You heard that?"  
  
He nodded. "I was…beside you the whole time…I never left you in case Paul would try to hurt you…"  
  
I felt my eyes filling with tears again, but I pushed them back. "I didn't know…I didn't understand…I was just really angry…"  
  
Jesse looked up at me again, and that slow, sexy smile spread across his face. I smiled back at him. Man, would I love to throw him up against the wall and screw him, just like Bianca said-  
  
"You do realize that I can hear everything you're thinking, right?" Jesse cut in, quirking an eyebrow up and smirking.  
  
"Oh, you can, can you?" I said, my face already burning up. What happened to all the times I swore I wouldn't let him win me back? All the times I said if he ever came crawling back I'd send him packing? There was never anything in there about flirting and blushing and being jealous.  
  
Then a dark and evil thought seemed to well up from somewhere inside me, and I smiled sinisterly. In my mind, I recalled that old image of me and Jesse, up against the wall…  
  
Jesse made a sound, somewhere between a laugh and a groan. "Ah, querida…" he purred.  
  
I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He was staring at me intently, almost eagerly, his eyes hungry, and not for food, if ya know what I mean.  
  
"Yes, Jesse?" I said innocently, smiling.  
  
Ok, I'll admit it. I wanted him. I wanted him right now. Jesse gave me the slow sexy smile again, and I leaned back on the bed. I could feel him feeding that image in my head again…Jesse was slowly crawling, predator-like, to hover over my body. There was an excitement in me I couldn't quite place, but it thrilled along every nerve in my body.  
  
Jesse put his hand on my stomach, his eyes never leaving mine. The Jesse in my head did the same. Slowly he slid his hand up my stomach, between the valley of my breasts, up onto my neck, and every muscle he skimmed over quivered under his touch…the Jesse in my head did the same, only going in the opposite direction…  
  
He looked at me questioningly, the fire in his eyes unmistakable, and it touched me that he had the consideration to ask if this was ok. I nodded my head, and closed my eyes as I readied myself to be introduced to that wonderful world of pleasure that was legendary, which had eluded me until now…ooh, and Jesse was just too hot in leather...  
  
A/N: What's that over there? Do I see some LEMONS in Suze's future? I'm quite sure Suze would love to have some LEMONS. Well, guys, I leave it up to you. REVIEW to cast your vote. Will there be a lemon or not? Actually, I already wrote the lemon ^_^' Oh, well! Should I post it or not? It's all up to you!  
  
TTFN 


	7. Midnight and Dawn

A/N: Ok, well...there are kinda mixed emotions about a Suze/Jesse lemon...but I decided to take a chance. So I've posted my lame excuse for a lemon. Heed the rating if you plan on reading it, but if you don't, just skip down to where you see the stars (******)...that's where the lemon ends, and something kind of important happens.  
  
Sorry, Rain. You were hysterical in your review. Kind of scared me...^_^'  
  
Oh...and one more thing...if anybody has an issue with Jesse's, um..."untamed"...behavior, all I can say is that it has to do with some of Paul rubbing off onto him when he was possessed...Jesse sort of explains it a little in this chappy (after the stars).  
  
Ok...my first lemon ever...  
  
Angel Wings-Chapter 7  
  
This was too unreal. Just like all those fantasies I've been having ever since I first met Jesse. Except way better, because it was actually happening. Jesse was acting way different than he normally did, but I decided I wouldn't question. Not yet. Now, I was too busy.   
  
"Susannah-" Jesse's muffled voice interrupted my thoughts. "Um-"  
  
I looked down, and blushed as I realized I was holding Jesse's head to my chest in what must have been a crushing embrace. "Sorry," I said, quickly letting him go.   
  
Great. We hadn't even begun any real foreplay and I was already making a fool of myself.  
  
Jesse laughed quietly. "Susannah-um, have you ever done this before?"  
  
I blinked, then blushed again. I was going to be blushing a lot, I realized. "No. Have you?"  
  
"Well, I haven't done it in over a hundred and fifty years."  
  
"Oh," I said. So he has done it. Funny, the way he's always acted-before now, I mean-I wouldn't have thought that.  
  
Jesse just kind of watched me, studying my face with a slight frown. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Susannah? I mean-"  
  
"Oh, god, Jesse!" Yeah, now he was acting more like the normal Jesse. Just when I was starting to like this new more wild side. "Fine, if you're scared, I'll do it, for Christ's sake!"  
  
Jesse's eyes widened as I pushed him over onto his back, getting on top of him and straddling him. "Susannah-"  
  
"Shut up," I said, and pushed my mouth onto his. For a second he was unresponsive, then he finally seemed to get into it and he wrapped his arms around my waist. There, that was more like it. I moved my tongue over his lips. He opened his mouth, and our tongues started doing the tango. This wasn't anything I hadn't done with him already. My hands were a different story. They were currently working his shirt up over his head. Jesse broke the kiss long enough to help me pull the shirt off. He threw it carelessly onto the floor, then grabbed my face and pulled me back down to him with a ferocity that surprised me. I smiled against his lips, and rubbed my chest against his as my hands started exploring the ridges between his abs, tickling him and scraping my nails playfully across his muscles.  
  
It was when I brought my hands lower and started tugging at the hem of his pants that he decided to take control. With one swift motion, he flipped us back over, so he was on top. Then he just kind of lied on top of me and smiled down at me in a way that seemed to say, "I'm in control here, not you." I glared up at him.   
  
"Are you going to do anything, or are you just gonna look at me all night?"  
  
Jesse's smile widened. "I was just thinking about evening up the score a bit."  
  
"Wha-"  
  
Then he reached down, took my pajama top in his hand, and ripped it off. That's it. He just completely destroyed my top. And I do not wear any bras to bed. So, with an angry gasp, I folded my arms over my breasts. "You-you-I liked that top, you-"  
  
I was blushing again.   
  
I hate myself.  
  
"What's the matter, Susannah?" Jesse said, his eyes sparkling as he flung my top onto the floor. "I thought you wanted to do this. You look nervous, now."  
  
"I am not!" I said stubbornly.   
  
"We'll see," he said with a grin, and he brought his eyes down to my chest. "Oh, we can't have that, now," and with what looked like very little effort, he pried my arms away from my chest.  
  
"Hey!" I said, trying to pull my arms away from his iron grip. He stared at my breasts, and my blush deepened when I saw him lick my lips.   
  
"Did you think we were going to keep our clothes on?" he said in a distracted manner as he pinned my arms over my head. God, this was starting to feel like some kind of rated X ####### movie.  
  
And I loved it. Am I sick, or what?  
  
That was when Jesse lowered his head to my chest, and hesitantly licked one of my nipples. I gasped-it felt like a bolt of electricity had run through my entire body. "Oh, she likes it," I heard him mutter, before he closed his mouth over my nipple, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head from the sensations he was creating. Somewhere in the back of my head I registered that the moaning sounds were coming from me, but it didn't matter to me. I could feel one of Jesse's hands slithering down my stomach, then I realized both of his hands were still holding mine. God, it must have been that mind *sex thing, because I was pretty sure he didn't have three hands.  
  
Then I felt the hand that wasn't really there brush across my you-know-what, despite the fact that I still had my pants on. "Jesse!" I gasped loudly. Jesse lifted his head from my chest, looking at me with concern in his eyes.  
  
"Second thoughts?" he asked.  
  
"No freakin way!" I said, and an evil grin erupted across his face.   
  
"Ok, then…"  
  
The invisible fingers brushed again across me, and I sucked in my breath sharply. Jesse just watched as I started to squirm, the fingers were now probing carefully. Then one of them flicked across my ####, and I screamed as another one of those electric-bolt sensations shuddered through my body again.  
  
"Oh, god," I gasped. "They'll wake up-"  
  
"Don't worry about that," he said with a smile, and he lowered his mouth to my neck, kissing me gently there, and let go of my hands. I immediately wrapped them around his broad shoulders, scraping my nails across his muscular back. He growled softly and began making his way down my body, leaving a trail of soft kisses. Excitement was welling in my stomach…I knew what he was about to do…  
  
He stopped momentarily at my navel, dipping in his tongue, and making me give another gasp. Then he lifted himself up and looked into my eyes. I gave him an encouraging smile and he put both of his hands at the hem of my pants, slowly lowering them…  
  
"What the hell is this?" he said suddenly. "They barely cover you!"  
  
"What?" I sat up slightly, and realized he was looking at my panties. I snickered. "It's called a thong. And I'm sure you've never seen them before. Back when you were alive the women were probably wearing knickers or something."  
  
Jesse gave me a look that told me I'd better shut up, and I giggled. "You haven't even seen the back of it."  
  
"What's on the back?" he asked, genuinely curious, his eyebrows furrowing.  
  
I rolled my eyes and flipped over onto my stomach. I heard his sharp intake of breath, and he flipped me back over. His eyes were bugging out. "Th-those aren't very appropriate for a young woman to wear…" he whispered.  
  
"Well, get used to them," I told him.  
  
He gave me a smirk. "Yeah, I guess I could get used to them…" He lowered them, rather carefully, I noticed. I guess he did like them.  
  
So now I was completely naked. Jesse sat back on his haunches, and just kind of looked at me. My face was burning again, and I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. I was sure he'd have some kind of disappointed expression on his face. I mean, my body was nothing compared to his. My chest wasn't big enough to be pleasing, and I wasn't nearly as curvy as J Lo or any of them. Even though I was now eighteen, I didn't look much different from when I was fifteen. Which really sucked.  
  
"Susannah," he said softly, and his voice was broken. I chanced a look at his face. It was completely emotionless, except that his eyes were shining…  
  
"Yes?" I said nervously.  
  
"You…are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."  
  
For a moment she looked at me like I was crazy, then a slow smile spread across her face.  
  
"Um, thanks…" she said, her face flushing adorably.  
  
God, I could barely control myself. This was taking all of my willpower.  
  
"Now, where was I…" I said in the silkiest purr I could summon. I noticed her shiver in anticipation as I slowly lowered myself to her beckoning womanhood. I first kissed her inner thighs. Above me, I could hear her ragged breathing. With a smirk, I blew on her soft curls. She squealed and tried to snap her thighs shut, but I was ready, and I caught them, pushing them apart.  
  
"That tickled!" she complained in a teasing voice.  
  
This woman was going to be the end of me, I thought as I felt my already engorged manhood strain painfully against my pants. The funny thing was, these pants were actually two sizes too big when Bianca gave them to me.  
  
I flicked my tongue out against her. As soon as I did, she gasped and tried to close her thighs again. "Quit that," I said in mock annoyance.  
  
"I can't help it! It's too-"  
  
I silenced her by putting my mouth on her. She arched her back and opened her mouth in a silent scream. God, she tasted so sweet. She was more than ready for me.  
  
I continued teasing her with my tongue for some minutes, though it was becoming annoyingly difficult with her bucking her hips like that. Like riding a bronco. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the   
  
thought. Susannah fell onto the bed, panting, as my mouth left her.  
  
"Wha-what's so-funny-" she said breathlessly. "Why-did you-stop?"  
  
I chuckled. "Ah, nothing," I said with a smile at her.  
  
She glared at me. "Well, thanks a bunch! I was just about to have my first-" She stopped and blushed again.  
  
I climbed back over her body, and kissed her deeply. She moaned softly. "Your first what, querida?" I said.  
  
Her blush only deepened. "You know…" She didn't seem able to meet my eyes. "This isn't fair, Jesse," she said suddenly. "Here I am, completely naked, and you still have your pants on."  
  
For the first time, I felt a blush creeping onto my face. "Yes, you're right. That's not very fair."  
  
She smirked at me, noticing my blush. "Ooh, so you're not as confident as you appear!"  
  
I didn't say anything. Wordlessly, I sat up, and undid the zipper of my pants. Not bothering to look seductive at all, I quickly pushed them down and kicked them off, avoiding her eyes the whole time. For some reason, I was getting more and more embarrassed.  
  
He seemed nervous for some reason as he took off the leather pants. He wouldn't look me in the eye. Now all that separated me from-well, from *sex-was Jesse's boxers.   
  
As he made no move to come back on top of me, or to take off the boxers, I sat up as well. This was it. The big moment. For some reason, I felt like I was in a sappy romance novel. It did seem to be almost too good to be real. The whole thing. And Jesse still wasn't acting quite normal, I had to say. But I wasn't minding that just yet.  
  
"Jesse," I said softly.  
  
He looked down at me. "What?"  
  
"Um…may I…?" I glanced down at his boxers for a split second. I hoped I wasn't imagining the huge bulge down there.  
  
Jesse smiled. Not trying to be seductive or anything, but just a genuine smile. A nervous smile.   
  
"Of course, Susannah," he said in a strangely calm   
  
voice.  
  
I brought my slightly trembling hands to the hem of his boxers. Ok, Suze. Deep breath. Deep breath. It's only Jesse. Calm down. Oh, *shit, I'm about to take off Jesse's boxers-oh god, oh god, oh god-  
  
"Um, do you need help, Susannah?" Jesse said. He was smiling at me, his arms folded over his chest. "I think you're more nervous than I am," he remarked. I suddenly remembered that he could hear all my thoughts. So, yeah, he would know.  
  
"Um, no, I think I can manage…" I said, blushing again.  
  
OH GOD, CAN I JUST PLEASE STOP BLUSHING?!  
  
Then an evil little urge came from deep inside me, and I tightened my grip on his boxers, and with a burst of strength that seemed to come from nowhere, I ripped his boxers off in much the way he had done to my shirt.  
  
And I just stared. His ripped boxers fell from my hands. I had to say, I think I was in shock. He was HUGE. Not that I've seen other naked guys, but I could tell.  
  
HOW THE HELL WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO FIT INSIDE ME?!  
  
And then all I could say was… "Whoa."  
  
How embarrassing.  
  
My hands were still trembling as I reached out to touch it. The moment my fingers brushed against it, Jesse's entire body shuddered, and he groaned. I closed my hand over it. It felt so soft and yet hard-like velvet over steel. (A/N: I stole that line from a million other fics ^_^)  
  
I slowly started moving my hand up and down over it. Jesse started making deep, guttural sounds, and I could feel myself wet all over again as I listened to him. I watched in fascination, still moving my hand, as he closed his eyes and continued to shudder, muttering the occasional "querida", and various other things. I could feel something building up inside him. I quickened my hand, and Jesse made a growling sound, and grabbed my hand, stopping me. He was panting loudly, but there was a satisfied glint in his eye.   
  
"Do you like what you see?" he said in a deep voice nothing like his usual voice.  
  
I swallowed. "Um-yeah, it's really…big…"  
  
"Good," he said, and he pounced on me. That's the only way to describe it. He just pounced on me, pinning me down on the bed. "I'm sick of foreplay," he said. "Are you ready for me?"  
  
"Um…yeah…" I said in a very small voice. He looked at me, and there was that fire in his eyes again.  
  
"I'll start slow, ok Susannah? I'll be gentle…"  
  
I nodded mutely, and took a deep breath. I knew enough to understand that it would be painful. I steadied myself as I felt him at my entrance, and squeezed my eyes shut.  
  
Deep breath. Deep Breath. You can deal with this. Deep breath.  
  
He began inching his way into me slowly, getting me used to his size. Then he was at my barrier. "Susannah, this is your last chance. Are you sure you want to give yourself to me…?"  
  
I swallowed again, and opened my eyes. I lifted my hand up to his cheek. "Yes, Jesse. You're the only one I'd ever give myself to."  
  
Something flickered in his eyes, and in one swift motion, he pushed through the final barrier.  
  
My mouth opened, but no sound came out. Jesse was silent, holding himself still inside of me.   
  
Was this what I've been dreaming of? This unbelievable pain that was ripping through my body? I couldn't even breathe! This was horrible!  
  
Then, little by little, the horrible pain began to subside. It still stung, though. I finally let out the breath I had been holding, and tears I hadn't even known were there spilled out from my eyes. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes again, then looked up at Jesse and gave him a weak smile. He was watching me with a pained expression on his face. "It's ok," I said. "I'm ok…"  
  
I began a slow thrust into me, and I gasped in surprise. The pain immediately stopped, and there was a butterfly sensation growing in the pit of my stomach. He began thrusting a little bit harder.  
  
"Oh, god," I said, staring at his well-toned chest.  
  
"I'll take it that the pain is gone," Jesse said quietly, still thrusting carefully into me.  
  
"Y-yeah…" I said breathlessly. It was starting to get hard to think-the feeling in my stomach was turning into a warm, slightly ticklish glow.  
  
"Then I guess its time to play," he said with a grin, and without warning, he pushed me down even further into the bed, and began slamming into me with unhindered desire.  
  
"Oh-my--*fucking-GOD!" I screamed as the intense pleasure washed over me like a tidal wave. I was lost. My eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I howled-actually howled-and started thrusting up towards to meet him, my only goal to get him as deep as possible. Above me, he was groaning, I was moaning (A/N: Hey, that rhymes!), and the world around me was disappearing. All that mattered was this incredible, intense feeling of euphoria…Jesse was going so fast now, it was hard to keep up with him…somewhere far away, I could hear myself screaming, but I didn't care…I was flying, this feeling was so wonderful it hurt…  
  
I could feel myself lifting slowly, still latched onto Jesse, thrusting for all I was worth…there was a familiar feeling erupting through me, light was flashing through the room…my sides were burning like there was some kind of rash, but I didn't care…I only cared about this feeling that was building up deep inside of me…  
  
And then the world exploded. I arched my back, clawing at Jesse's back, drawing blood. It happened to Jesse at the same time. We were both screaming, riding the waves of this horribly intense, incredible experience…the room was spinning, I was blind to everything except the feeling…my legs were wrapped around Jesse waist, and-  
  
"OH MY GOD!" I screamed, as everything shook and turned upside down, this was going to kill me, I just knew it-and finally I fell limp in Jesse's arms, after what seemed like hours of riding those waves of painful pleasure, completely exhausted. Jesse made one final, mind-blowing thrust, and came inside me.   
  
Then we were just holding onto each other, unable to speak, barely able to breathe. I couldn't believe what had just happened. This was a dream. It had to be. Some incredible, extremely realistic dream.  
  
I don't know how long we were there, holding onto each other. It seemed like hours. But when I finally lifted my head and looked at the clock, it only read 3:07 PM. I felt so weak…if it hadn't been for Jesse holding onto me, I would have fallen to the floor-  
  
Wait a second.  
  
What was happening here? Jesse and I-we were floating-  
  
I looked up at Jesse. He was also looking around, just as confused as I was.  
  
Then I saw them. My wings. And Jesse's wings. My eyes widened. I was covered in my blindingly white light, and Jesse had a dark aura surrounding him, not unlike Paul's. And there were my wings, arched high above me…and there were Jesse's wings, folded protectively around us, like a cocoon. They were considerably larger than mine, and mine were pretty big. And they weren't white like mine…they were black. Very, very black. The air around us was crackling with some kind of electricity-a mixture of light and darkness, I realized. The room seemed to be covered in ever-shifting shadows, spotted by blinding flashes of light. I looked back at Jesse. He was watching me with a smirk. He leaned in and kissed me gently on the forehead. Then he looked into my eyes.  
  
"Did you enjoy that?" he said.  
  
I smiled. "Hell yeah!"  
  
"Good," he said, with a small thrust-he was still inside me, I realized. "Because I'm not done with you yet."  
  
And then it began all over again.  
  
**************************************************  
  
"Are you going to leave again?" I asked quietly.  
  
"Of course not," Jesse said. "Though things will be different than before."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"Not just because of what happened last night, Susannah. Also…well, I'm not exactly dead anymore…"  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that… Does that mean we can be…you know…a normal couple?"  
  
Jesse tightened his grip on me. "…I think so."  
  
I smiled and snuggled into his embrace. We were out on the roof outside my room, watching the sun come up. Jesse had his pants on, but I just had the sheet wrapped around me. The morning was cool, clear, and breezy. It was going to be another gorgeous summer day.  
  
"Jesse?" I said, suddenly remembering, "Um…you weren't acting like you normally do last night…I mean…usually you wouldn't do that…out of, um…wedlock, ya know…"  
  
"Well, Susannah…I did do it out of wedlock once before…" He trailed off, and I could tell he was embarrassed, admitting that. "…but you're right, I am different…"  
  
"But…why? Is it…the thing with Paul…?"  
  
"I believe I do have some of Paul in me now. As much as I hate the bastard…perhaps that's why I'm a bit…odd…"  
  
"You're not 'odd', Jesse. You're just a bit-ok, very out of character…"  
  
He chuckled. "Yes, well. I hope you don't mind it then, because I kind of enjoy this rebellious streak inside of me. I just feel like…breaking some rules. But…I'm not a different person, Susannah…"  
  
I noticed a note of anxiety in the way he said that, almost like he was wondering if I would toss him away for being a little different…  
  
"I love you, Jesse," I whispered.  
  
Jesse's grip on me tightened. "Thank you, Susannah…"  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For accepting me. I'm so sorry I had to leave you. And…I hope you didn't feel like I was forcing myself on you, last night…it's just…I can't explain it…"  
  
I smiled. "Jesse, I had to force myself on you a few times, in case you don't remember…"  
  
He buried his face in my hair. Thank god I washed it last night. "Yes, you did. You…you are a beautiful person…I promise you, Susannah, that no matter what…I will always protect you…"  
  
I snuggled deeper into his embrace, and we sat like that for a few minutes on the roof, and I had a sudden feeling of déjà vu…except that two years ago, we were watching the sunset…and now we were watching the sunrise…  
  
"Susannah…querida…um, I'd like to ask you something…"  
  
I turned in his arms. He looked nervous for some reason. "What is it?"  
  
He bit his bottom lip, and looked into my eyes. With the rising sun shining directly at his face, I noticed that his almost-black eyes had flecks of red and gold. He had beautiful eyes.  
  
"Um…when all this clears up…when we're able to settle down together…will you, um…" He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small black box. "Might as well do this properly," he said quietly.  
  
He lifted a very confused me out of his lap, and stood us up. Then he got down on one knee in front of me, holding out the black box to me.  
  
My mouth went dry as I started to recognize the classic position.  
  
He took a deep breath. "Susannah," he opened the box, revealing a ring with a beautiful golden-red stone that glowed from some light within it. I had   
  
never seen a stone like that in my life, and I was sure   
  
it wasn't from earth. "…will you marry me?"  
  
I was completely speechless as he slipped the ring onto my finger, and looked back up into my eyes, waiting. I looked down at the stone on my finger, then back at Jesse, and my face erupted into a smile.  
  
"Oh my god-YES!!!!!!!"  
  
I flew into Jesse's arms and we fell over, laughing and crying and planting kisses all over each other's faces.  
  
It was everything I had ever dreamed of.  
  
It was Jesse and I, and the sun rising on our new life together.  
  
A/N: Well, I hated it. Oh, well. You know, I always marveled at how Meg Cabot could describe all the male characters in her stories as "hot" and "sexy", and yet make it so difficult to write a lemon about them...well, REVIEW, and give me the cold, hard truth about what you thought about this chappy, please.  
  
TTFN 


	8. The Perfect Day

A/N: Updated fast, didn't I? Yup...updated before I had to endure reviews for my sucky lemon...  
  
Angel Wings-Chapter 8  
  
As I walked into the throne room, the first thing I noticed was that it was darker than usual. Which made sense, since Paul was angry today. And with good reason.  
  
I was, also.  
  
Then my eyes fell upon the brooding figure sitting on his throne, covered in shadows. "Your grace, Unholy One," I intoned dramatically. "Why have you requested my presence?"   
  
He stood up slowly, cat-like, and made his way over to me, stopping inches away from me. He looked at me with horrible rage in his eyes, and for a second, I thought he would kill me.   
  
Then he said, in a tone that chilled me with its calm anger, "Because, Bianca, I am getting impatient. I'm doing it tonight."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Don't 'but' me. I will have her tonight. And he will die tonight…and I will have my power again…" He turned away from me, his fists clenching and unclenching. "He touched her," he muttered. "He touched her in ways only I should. He…he made love to her…he took away her virginity…"  
  
What a baby, I couldn't help but think. I was carefully shielding all my thoughts from him. He would kill me if he knew what I was plotting.  
  
"Very well, then," I said loudly so I could catch his attention again. Then, out of pure curiosity, "How do you intend to gain back the power that Jesse took?"  
  
Paul turned towards me, and there was an evil glint in his eye. "I must possess him, and destroy his essence."  
  
"…his...essence?"  
  
"Yes," Paul said, then he snapped his fingers, calling up a holographic image of Susannah, smiling and blowing kisses at him. He gazed at the image wistfully, then reached out a hand…when the hand passed through the image, though, his moodiness returned. "Yes," he repeated, now glaring at the image, "I must do battle with his soul. And…then I must absorb his soul into my own. That's what I did to my father…when he wouldn't let me have Suze…he left me no choice…"  
  
A shiver ran through my body as Paul spoke of how   
  
he murdered his father.  
  
He turned back towards me. "Tonight we will do it. Tonight the universe will be mine. You are dismissed."  
  
He turned away, and walked back into the shadows, sitting imposingly on his throne. With a final bow, I walked out of the throne room. And released the breath I had been holding in.  
  
I slinked through the massive halls of the dark palace, avoiding other demons. I always avoided them. Because if they caught me, they would mock me. Mock me for what I was.  
  
Finally, I reached the door to my chambers. With one last look around to make sure no one had seen me, I slipped in quietly. As soon as I stepped in, a blazing fire roared to life, casting flickering lights on the large, cold room.   
  
I would never get used to this place.  
  
I snapped my fingers, calling up that holographic image of the man I loved and hated with all my heart. I approached the image, and looked into the dark eyes, which were gazing at me with laughter in them.  
  
He touched her…and not me…  
  
With a scream, I swiped angrily at the image. It flickered, but if anything, his smile seemed to grow wider.  
  
"I hate you…you horrible bastard…I'll never forgive you for what you did to me…"  
  
Tears were filling my eyes.  
  
"And yet…"  
  
I turned and walked away from the image, pulling a small dagger out of my belt as I went, the hate slowly filling me, until I thought I would burst. "I'll never let him kill you," I assured the image. "I'll protect you from him, I promise…"  
  
I turned quickly, and flung the knife as hard as I could at the image. The knife went through him, and buried itself to the hilt in the wall behind him. Once again, he flickered, but didn't vanish.  
  
"…but only so I can kill you myself."  
  
It was around noon when I finally limped into the kitchen for breakfast.  
  
Yeah, you read that right: limped. And I'm sure you can guess why.  
  
But I had a huge smile plastered onto my face, and I get rubbing the stone on my finger.  
  
I went in and sat down at the table, along with Dopey and Doc. Sleepy was already out delivering "za". He didn't really need to save his money any more, but I guess it gave him an excuse to drive around his new Camaro. Dopey looked as clueless as ever, but I couldn't help but notice how Doc was looking at me with an almost accusatory glare. He had bags under   
  
his eyes also, like he hadn't slept all night.  
  
Andy turned, balancing his tuna special on a tray. Guess I missed breakfast. As he was passing out plates, he said to me, "That's a pretty nasty limp you've got there, Suze. Did you bang you're knee or something?"  
  
"Oh, she got banged alright," I heard Doc mutter. Oh, *shit, he must have heard what was going on. I could feel myself turning a deep crimson, and I bent over my plate and started eating, hoping no one would notice.  
  
At that moment, Mom waltzed in, and she seemed to be in a good mood. "Morning everyone!" She gave Andy a peck on the cheek, then sat down.   
  
Andy finally sat down, and announced, "Ok, everybody's here…except one of my sons who decided to work overtime…but we can enjoy this feast without him, then!"  
  
By the time Andy finished this little speech, everyone was already eating. Doc kept casting me dirty looks over the table, which I didn't appreciate. I avoided looking over at him, and as soon as I was done eating, I got up quickly, and said, "Well-um, I'm going to the mall with Cee Cee, so um-"  
  
"Suzie!" my mom suddenly squealed, and I flinched at the hated nickname. "Where did you get that ring? It's beautiful!"  
  
I subconsciously rubbed the stone on my finger again, my mind working over time for an excuse. "Um-uh-Cee Cee…um-she went to the planetarium last week, and she brought this ring…it's, um…a genuine mars rock."  
  
My mom blinked in surprise. "Mars?"  
  
"Yeah, it came from Mars. Now if you'll excuse me…" I got up and left the house as fast as I could, got in the rambler, and drove towards the mall. That was seriously a close one. And Doc seems to know what I was doing last night…  
  
I pulled my cell phone out of my purse, and pushed the speed dial for Cee Cee's phone. It rang two times, then she picked up.  
  
"Hello? Is that you, Suze?"  
  
"Yeah-I'm on my way to the mall now."  
  
"Suze! You're two hours late! Adam and I have been waiting…"  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sure you entertained yourselves quite well without me."  
  
I could already see Cee Cee's red face.  
  
"Um…yeah, well…you still shouldn't be two hours late!"  
  
"Yeah, Cee, I gotta go, k? I'm turning into the parking lot right now, so I'll see you in a few."  
  
I hung up and found a parking easily enough. The drawback? It was about a mile away from the building. By the time I reached the mall, I was fully dehydrated from the intense heat.  
  
I really need to get in shape.  
  
I found Adam and Cee Cee at Mandee's. Cee Cee was grabbing as much clothes as she could, and dumping it all onto a very confused looking Adam, chatting away the whole time. When they caught sight of me, Cee Cee practically screamed, "Suze, it's about time!" which made Adam drop everything he was holding, namely, a pile of designer clothes roughly my height.  
  
I didn't give her a chance to scold me. I just grabbed her wrist, already getting really excited, and started dragging her from the store.   
  
"Suze! Where are we going?!"  
  
"I want to introduce you to someone," I said, smiling broadly as I pushed through the crowds of people, heading towards Super Cuts, which was only a few stores away.  
  
"Ooh!" Cee Cee squealed. "Is it a guy? Huh? Is he hot?"  
  
"You'll see," I said, stopping in front of the store. I peeked in. This was where Jesse said he would be waiting but…he wasn't here. He must be late.  
  
"Where is he?" Cee Cee was whispering. "Is he that hottie over there in the corner? Or that one in the chair-oh, wait, that's a girl-or-oh god, please don't say it's that guy getting his hair cut, or I might be forced to dump Adam!"  
  
"Oh, really?" someone said right behind us. We turned to see a very annoyed looking Adam glaring at Cee Cee.  
  
"Oh, um…" Cee Cee laughed nervously. "Kidding, kidding…"  
  
I tuned out the rest of the conversation as I looked around again, now getting a little worried. Where was my fiancée?  
  
"Oh, hey, Suze!" an annoying, feminine voice said. It was Kelly Prescott and her little gang of buddies.  
  
"Hey," I said, not nearly as enthusiastic as her.  
  
She came to stand in front of me, her friends standing around her like a shield. "Long time no see! How's your summer been so far?"  
  
"Oh, same old stuff. Nothing much has been happening. And you?"  
  
"Oh, me? Well, let's see, on Wednesday I got an incredible pedicure from Feet Inc., you know, that place across from the school? And then I met this hottie from another town, and we've been dating…oh, Suze you've got to see this guy to believe him, he's simply delicious! We've been dating, and-"  
  
Then something happened to Kelly. It was strange, like some kind of chain reaction. First she was cut off in mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open like a fish. Then her eyes widened, her mouth opened even wider. Then her whole face went kind of slack, and her eyes half-closed, making her look like Sleepy. Finally, this pleasant, dreamy smile appeared on her lips, making her look like she just got high on white-out or something. "Who is that god that just walked in?" she said, looking about ready to faint.  
  
I turned, and grinned. He grinned right back at me.  
  
"Must-say-hi-" Kelly began walking towards Jesse, her arms outstretched like those zombies in Night of the Living Dead. She nearly fainted from shock when Jesse breezed right past her as if she weren't there and came right up to me, grabbing me and giving me a quick, but thorough, kiss.  
  
Cee Cee and Adam were right behind us, and I looked at them with a nervous smile. "Um, guys, this is Jesse, my fian-um, boyfriend."   
  
Jesse and I had agreed it would be for the best if we didn't tell anyone we were engaged just yet. We would wait until I finished college.  
  
Cee Cee's eyes widened in recognition. "Hey, that's the guy you were telling me about yesterday!" She took Jesse's hand, shaking it. "Hi, my name is Cee Cee, and this is Adam. And, um, that girl over there-" she pointed at Kelly, who was staring at Jesse with her mouth opening and closing mechanically, trying to comprehend what had just happened, "-is Kelly." She leaned in conspiratorially, and said quietly, "-but I recommend that you stay away from her at all costs."  
  
Jesse laughed. "Um…ok, then. Nice to meet you, Cee Cee." I smiled when he said that. It was so nice being able to introduce Jesse to my friends.  
  
"Hi, my name is Kelly Prescott," Kelly, having finally snapped out of her trance, said as she shoved Cee Cee out of the way. "And here's my phone number." She handed him a slip of paper. Jesse looked at it with some confusion. "Call me when you want to party for real."  
  
Then she walked out of the shop like she owned the place. I glared after her, seething.  
  
"Who the hell does she think she is?! Waltzing in here like the world is in her hands, and-"  
  
Jesse silenced me by placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Susannah, come on, let's go. Don't worry about her, I'm already taken." He threw the paper with Kelly's number on it in a nearby trash bin for emphasis.  
  
I blinked. "Yeah, but-"  
  
"Susannah, don't ruin the day because of a person like that," he said, grabbing my shoulders and steering me out of Super Cuts towards a very amused looking Cee Cee and Adam.  
  
I think I can honestly say that this was the greatest day of my life, at least so far. It just meant so much to me to finally be able to do normal, every-day things with Jesse.  
  
First, we went back to Mandee's, where Cee Cee and I modeled clothes for Jesse and Adam. I purposely picked out the most flirty outfits I could find, just for Jesse. He actually blushed when I came out in a very revealing red dress, which cut off just below my butt, along with black boots that went up to my knees. Since he seemed to like that outfit, I bought it, (or at least I tried to, since the moment I set the clothes on the counter, Jesse whipped out a few hundreds and paid for them himself) along with a few more thongs for him to enjoy, a new bikini (which I enjoyed modeling for him very much, thank you), and a black tank top that said "Queen of the Dead". Just so he wouldn't forget who he belongs to. Not that he would.  
  
I nearly cried when, later on, Jesse paid for my pizza. He, never having had pizza before, instantly fell in love with it. When we went to the movies after that, tears actually did fill my eyes as Jesse paid for our tickets, took my hand, and led me in.   
  
Where was he getting all this money, anyway? I thought as he bought us popcorn, and then anything else I wanted, which, since I didn't want to look like I was mooching off of him, was just a bag of M&Ms.   
  
I asked him this as we were sitting in the theater, waiting for the movie to begin. He simply turned to me and said, his eyes twinkling, "Well, Susannah, I got a job, of course."  
  
"Yeah, but…well, what job? Because you seem pretty damn rich to me…"  
  
He laughed quietly. "It is a good job."  
  
"What's the job?" I asked again, getting a little peeved.  
  
He kissed the top of my head affectionately, then leaned his head on my shoulder. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you," he said, sounding pretty serious.  
  
"Is it something illegal?" I said, my eyes getting wide. If Jesse turned out to kill people for a living or something, I don't know if I would be able to marry him.  
  
Jesse only chuckled, a deep sound that made me shiver, and not with fear.  
  
Well, I have to say that we didn't pay much attention to the movie.  
  
Later, after we had said good bye to Adam and Cee Cee, Jesse and I headed for an Italian bistro, called "Fit For a King". This place was known for being the fanciest restaurant in town. Only the rich people came to this place. Seriously, the cheapest plate was like, thirty-five bucks. Jesse only smiled at me when I informed him of this, and said, "I know."  
  
It turns out he already made reservations for us there, and he paid extra cash so that we could sit on the roof, beneath the stars. We were the only ones on the roof. As we sat down, there was already what looked like a bottle of wine waiting for us, but it actually turned out to be soda.  
  
"No underage drinking for you," Jesse said as he poured a glass for me while wagging his finger reproachfully at me.  
  
I looked around. This was seriously a perfect night. It was warm and breezy, the stars overhead were twinkling brightly, and Jesse looked so great, smiling at me over the table. He lifted his glass of soda, and I did, too. "A toast," he said, his eyes twinkling playfully, "to great *sex."  
  
I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled in spite of myself. "Yeah, whatever…and, um-to a life of happiness together."  
  
"Cheers," Jesse said, and our glasses chinked.   
  
I picked up the menu and scanned it. I didn't know half the stuff that was on there. But I was too distracted by Jesse's hand, which was drumming lightly on the table, to read it, anyway.  
  
"Thanks, Jesse," I said quietly. "Thanks for…everything. Not just the restaurant…everything. You've always been there for me, and I'll love you forever because of that."  
  
A violin started playing in the background, and I felt like I was in a sappy romance movie.  
  
"I didn't do anymore than you did for me, Susannah," Jesse replied, taking my hand.  
  
We were silent for a few more minutes, checking out our menus. Then I broke the silence with my graceful and ever-witty mouth.   
  
"Um, Jesse…what is this stuff, anyway?"  
  
Jesse looked up, and saw I was referring to the menu. "Oh…how about I order for you, then? I know some stuff on here that you would love."  
  
"Um, ok," was my smooth and sexy reply.  
  
When the waitress came up, Jesse ordered two plates of something that seriously sounded like it was in German or something. But that's ok, because it turned out to be really delicious, even if it did look like a pile of mush. I dug in, completely forgetting my manners…at least until Jesse started cracking up. That was when I realized how stupid I looked, inhaling this stuff like I hadn't eaten in days.  
  
Besides that one embarrassing moment, the dinner was perfect, an absolute dream…it was when Jesse dropped me off home (how the hell did he manage to afford a brand-new black corvette, anyway?!?) that everything went all wrong.  
  
Oh, the good-bye kiss was perfect, believe me. Actually, it was a little more than a kiss, but that's beside the point. No, I didn't get into any fights with my family or anything. We weren't robbed or anything, nobody was dead.  
  
The problem was, that when I turned on the lights to my room and closed the door behind me, planning on taking a nice, hot bath and reading some Danielle Steel (can you tell I'm obsessed?), someone grabbed me from behind and put a knife to my throat.  
  
And it sure as hell wasn't Jesse.  
  
A/N: Well, I have nothing to say, so just REVIEW dammit!!!!!  
  
TTFN 


	9. Darkness

A/N: Yeah, I know I took a while. Cut me a break, will ya? It took me a few tries to get this chapter the way I wanted. Seriously, I wrote at least three different versions, depicting Jesse as everything from a womanizer to a psyochotic mass-murderer...um, yeah, well, don't worry, Jesse's ok in this chapter. Really.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"You scream, you die," the person whispered in my ear. I instantly recognized the sickeningly feminine voice.  
  
"Bianca!" I gasped. "You-why, you little-" I was cut off as the blade sunk into my throat just enough to draw a trickle of blood.  
  
"Yes, I am a little *bitch, now get over it," she said, and we both started glowing this weird black aura not unlike Paul's or Jesse's.  
  
"What are you doing?" I whispered, knowing this wasn't doing any good for my already heavily damaged psyche.   
  
"We're taking a little trip," she said flatly, and my room vanished as we dematerialized.  
  
***********************  
  
I can't keep it from Susannah for much longer. Soon, she will notice…I'm no longer the man she once knew. There is a monster inside me, slowly blackening my heart…and I can do nothing to stop it. Even now, I feel the dragon stirring…  
  
"We'll warm all you cool cats out there with a little of Eminem's number one hit, 8 Mile," the radio announced, and immediately after the surly beat began, which I took a strange liking to it. I turned it up and pounded the gas pedal. Suddenly, I was speeding down the dark highway at 120 miles per hour, all the windows down, sending a stinging wind in to whip my hair in all directions. I picked up a beer bottle from the cooler beside me, popped the top, downed it in one monumental swig, and tossed it in the back with the rest.  
  
I felt so…free…wicked…the music was pumping in my blood…the corvette was racing to nowhere…and all I wanted to do was kill someone.  
  
Kill? No, no-where did that thought come from?  
  
Yes, yes-I want to kill someone. I want someone to walk right in front of this car and splatter all over the windshield like a bug-  
  
"No! *Fucking NO!"  
  
I pounded the gas even harder, the car practically breaking land speed records, and I couldn't even see anymore. My vision was suddenly blurry. I was thinking of Susannah…and a life of eternity without her. Where would I go? Back to Hell, I suppose. Bianca would welcome me into her house, but I wouldn't stay with her. I knew what she wanted. She wanted…well, me. And I couldn't give myself to another woman, not after Susannah. But would I really be to able to stand watching her grow and live her life, and maybe even meet another man? I would have to, though…for her own good. She had no idea what I was becoming…and I didn't want to tell her.  
  
I want to…so much…but I can't be her husband.  
  
I would…destroy her. Maybe not physically, I could never hurt her. But…in her mind and heart, I would shatter her…like a precious diamond…  
  
I couldn't see anything anymore. There was an indescribable blackness beyond the blinding glare of the headlights, which seemed to be bobbing back and forth, back and forth. Was I drunk? Did I have too many beers? Fifteen or so…maybe a few more, who knew? All I knew was, there were Susannahs-three Susannahs, dancing in front of the headlights…they were beckoning to me…and there was a voice in my head… "Hit them…hit them…destroy them…" …and the music was getting louder and louder, and my vision was blurring, and the car seemed to be shaking, faster and faster, the wheel was running away, the wind seemed to be blowing my face off, and suddenly I heard a roar-a loud, angry roar, and I realized it was me…I was screaming, I was roaring furiously, I was shouting every obscene word I knew into the blackness, I was wondering where it had all gone wrong, why would the goodfuckinglordalmighty take away the only thing I ever held quite so dear, and that I truly was damned and forsaken in his eyes, and now Susannah's eyes, too, and-  
  
And there she was. Susannah, with a bright light coming from her body, her wings stretched out around her, looking at me…and her wings were stuck at odd angles, bloodied and ruffled, and her dress-the same one she had worn on our date-was tattered and practically falling off, there was a trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth, and she had a look of indescribable terror on her face, as I sped closer and closer to her, seeing but not daring to believe, too dumbstruck to hit the *fucking brakes, too drunk to realize that I was about to kill her.  
  
***********************  
  
"Why are we here?" I said, and I'm sorry to say my voice was shaky.  
  
"You'll see," Bianca said with a smirk. "I want you to stay right there, and don't move."  
  
I glared at her. "You-want me to-to stand in the middle of a highway at night. And you-expect me to-stay still?"  
  
"Precisely. And if you move an inch, you'll be dead before you can say, 'I need a mediator'. So do yourself a favor and stay there," and her hatefully pretty face vanished as she dematerialized, leaving me alone in the middle of the highway. I shivered. Not that it was cold…but she had just tied me to a tree and beaten the crap out of me. I didn't even want to turn and look at my wings. I knew they were both broken.  
  
"B-bit-ch," I muttered, my teeth chattering, and I hugged myself from the odd chill that had decided to grace my body with its presence. "C-coward…I couldn't-ev-en…fight ba-ck…"  
  
My body was shaking now. I felt my stomach turning over…she probably gave me some internal bruises or something. It felt like winter…my body was getting colder and colder, like my body heat had suddenly been sapped away. And then there was the little matter of me being abandoned in the middle of a highway…at night. I had a pretty good idea of what she was hoping to accomplish through this.  
  
"B-#####!" I shouted. "Do y-you hear me-ee? You're a-"  
  
I suddenly convulsed in a fit of coughing. Not normal coughing, either…wet coughing. Like I was choking on something. And a fine mist sprayed from my mouth every time I coughed, wet stuff flying out of my mouth. Now, that couldn't be good. I wiped some of the stuff from the corner of my mouth. Blood. I was coughing up blood.  
  
"*Shit," I muttered. She must've bruised my lungs. That…that could kill me. I gave a pitiful moan. "I hate her, I hate her…" Every time I breathed in, it felt like my windpipe was full of flem, only it wasn't. It wasn't flem.  
  
"I'm gonna die…" I whispered.   
  
It was kind of ironic, if you think about it. I mean, I had always helped the dead, fought them, cursed them out, fallen in love with them, kissed them, punched them…hell, I had even been one for a while! But now, I was about to join their legions permanently…be it from choking on my own blood, or being hit by a truck, I was about to die.  
  
And all I could think was, Mom'll never get over it. She'll be mourning me for the rest of her life…  
  
And then I remembered Jesse, and an overwhelming sadness swept through me. I mean, we were finally a normal couple! We were going to get married, have kids, make love every night, grow old together, and die in each other's arms, just like all those romance novels, where everyone gets to live happily ever after.  
  
But this…this was just *fucked up! It was a fuckin fractured fairy tale!  
  
My whole life is a fractured fairy tale, I thought with a sigh. This is why I don't believe in God. I serve him my entire life, apparently as one of his "angels", sent to earth to do good in his name, or whatever…and this is what I get. Dying cold and alone on a highway…roadkill. That's what I am right now. Roadkill.  
  
I could almost hear Jesse's voice saying, "Susannah, I can't believe you would give up so quickly! You always find a way out of situations! Ok, well…I'm usually there to help, but that's not the point! You're a good mediator-well, you're an ok mediator-or maybe you're an angel-or, well, you can't really be an angel, but, um…wow, you're screwed."  
  
Ok, well, maybe that's not Jesse's voice I'm actually hearing there, but…pseudo-Jesse has a point. Well, not the part where I'm screwed (well, actually, I have been screwed, ha ha, ok, yeah, bad joke there), but the part where I can't give up. Ok, Suze, let's recap this delicate situation. You are in the middle of a highway, slowly dying of a bruised lung, or something like that. If you move an inch, a Bianca, the deranged demon, will come back and slit your throat. If you somehow managed to defeat Bianca in your badly beaten state, you will have to contend with Paul, who will no doubt still want to make you his eternal bride.  
  
Ok, Suze-any good ideas?  
  
I was still thinking of some way to escape the highway without actually moving an inch when I heard it. Music…rap music. Really loud rap music. And then two really bright lights came up from over the rise in front of me. For a second I squinted at them, wondering moronically if Eminem was coming in a limo to rescue me. Then I realized the car was going really, REALLY fast, and I would be dead in a few seconds. Not only that, but it was weaving back and forth across the road, like the driver was really zonked out on ###### or something. Then the car turned from side of the road, heading straight for me, and all I could do watch the two lights getting bigger and bigger…  
  
Time was slowing down. Is this what happens when you're about to die? Do you notice every single detail of the world around you with inhuman clarity? Do you see the birds flying overhead, do you see the rain just starting to fall from the overcast sky, do you see every crack in the pavement that you're about to kiss? Do you wish you could have had just one last cookie before you were whisked away to your death, leaving the whole box to your ungrateful stepbrothers?  
  
Ok, well, maybe that's not your last wish, but I'm…unique. *cough, cough*  
  
And then something lifted me up, something that I couldn't see, and I was flying above the lights, watching them fly through the spot where I had been standing…I wondered if this was an out-of-body experience or something, but my body still ached, and I doubted I would have a body to ache in an out-of-body experience, since that's kind of the whole point…no, something was grabbing my arms and lifting me up as I watched the lights pass underneath me, heading straight for a tree off the side of the road. And then, just before that car that had almost killed me hit the tree, I recognized it. I knew who's sexy black corvette that was.  
  
And I screamed.  
  
There was the sickening crunch of smashing glass and metal against splintering wood. And me, screaming like it was me in that car, and not the person that meant the most to me in the entire world. The thing holding me up by the arms was laughing, I was screaming, and the car was being crushed into a dense ball of twisted steel.  
  
And then I was falling to the ground, still screaming, just slipping away and crashing onto the pavement with a loud crunch, knowing something was broken but not caring, only seeing that huge fireball that had once been Jesse's car, which was now melting away into nothing, with him in it…  
  
And then he jumped out of the fire, like it was nothing, like he couldn't even feel the flames, like he hadn't just been in a lethal car accident.  
  
"Great, now I have to get another one," I heard him say, and, despite how painful it was, my face broke into a huge grin, and I let out a scratchy little moan that was supposed to come out as "Jesse, I'm so happy you're alive!" but instead came out as, well, a scratchy little moan.  
  
He turned toward the sound, and when he saw me lying on the street in a crumpled heap, he did a comical sort of double-take, blinked like he couldn't believe I was real, then in a flash he was at my side.  
  
"Que-querida?" he said, his voice trembling.  
  
"Hi," I croaked out. Could I get any lamer?  
  
He just stared at me. "You…did I…hit you?" he said, his voiced cracking.  
  
"No," I managed to get out. My wrist was strangely numb. "No-she lifted me out of the way-" I was barely above whispering from all the screaming I had done a moment ago.  
  
"Who, querida?" he said, voice full of sorrow. He lifted my head off the ground, and I felt myself slipping out of consciousness…hopefully no farther than that. "Who did this to you, then?"  
  
I tried to stop it. I really did. I tried to shout, "Jesse, turn around, Bianca's behind you, and she's about to ram a huge piece of glass through you-!!!" Because as soon as he said that, I opened my eyes…and there she was, smiling down at me, with this chunk of windshield lifted over her head, ready to kill Jesse…   
  
But he didn't understand the strangled cry that rose from my lungs, turning into another coughing spree that sprayed blood right onto his agonized features.  
  
And a moment later, Jesse's mouth opened in a silent scream as the glass pushed through the front of his stomach.  
  
A/N: OH, NO! THERE GO JESSE'S PERFECT ABS!!!! *cough cough*, yeah, um...I kind of liked the way that chappy turned out. But of course, that just means that it probably sucked. Oh, well. This story's going to end soon. One or two more chapters, tops. I've decided to make this into a trilogy, so there will be one more sequel after this one. I've decided to call it...oh, I dunno..."Suze's Big Adventure!"...ok, ok, that sucks...well, whatever. Oh, wait--how about, "Of Heaven and Hell"...or "Of Angels and Demons"...or--um, anyway...yeah. Just make sure you REVIEW. I'm not updating until I get...7 reviews. HAHAHAHAHA--one more than the last time!   
  
Wow, this A/N is way too long. I don't know why, I just feel like babbling. OH, NO--I'M TURNING INTO SUZE!!!!! Lol, ok, I'll shut up now.  
  
Oh, and REVIEW. Did I say that already? Ok, well I said it again.  
  
Wow, I'm a moron.  
  
TTFN  
  
P.S: Ummm...I forgot why I put P.S. there...I think I'm drunk or something. 


	10. Falling, Part I

A/N: Yeah, I know it's been a while. I made this chapter extra long to make up for it. It's the last chapter of this story. Quick note here: I...um..."borrowed" some of Meg Cabot's words...well, I used quotes from her books in this chapter. So basically, here's my little system:  
  
*** = quote from Meg Cabot books  
  
** = quote from my other story, Sleepless in California  
  
* = quote from earlier in this story  
  
K, enough of my ramblings, on with the chappy! ^_^  
  
Angel Wings--Chapter 10, Part I (cut it in half cuz it was too big, lol)  
  
Time stopped.  
  
***"You called me amigo. I thought you might like to know I have a name. It's Jesse."  
  
Leaning over me, swaying slightly, his face was draped in shadows, and all I could see was his mouth, which was opening and closing almost mechanically. The rain was coming down harder now, and somewhere above us, lightning struck, and in that moment of blinding light, I saw his eyes. They were wide open in absolute disbelief.  
  
***"I may have been dead for the past hundred and fifty years, Susannah, but that doesn't mean I don't know how people say goodnight. And generally, when people say goodnight, they keep their tongues to themselves."  
  
His hands, still holding onto me in a viselike grip, slowly let go. I slipped onto the pavement, trapped in the horror of the moment, staring incredulously as he raised his trembling hands to the piece of glass jutting obscenely from what had once been his perfect abs. He touched it softly, as if making sure it was real.  
  
***"What about you, Susannah? Have you been open and honest with me? I don't think so. Otherwise, why would your father come after me like he did?"  
  
Bianca was dancing gleefully behind him, cackling joyfully, and her pretty face was melting away…changing into something I hated with a vengeance…  
  
***"Fine." The first, beautiful kiss… "We don't have to talk."  
  
Jesse's eyes dragged slowly, almost lazily from the spot in the sky he had been staring at, to my eyes. Looking at my eyes, but not seeing. Not focusing. He wasn't here anymore. He was somewhere much darker and colder, now.  
  
I hadn't realized that I was shaking uncontrollably, almost like a miniature seizure. I hadn't realized that I had been clamping my teeth down right on my tongue. I hadn't realized those drops running down my face weren't just rain.  
  
**"So what should we do tonight besides saving the world?" That roguish glint in his eyes, as if he had naughty things on his mind. Dead, yet so much more alive than…this…  
  
Then something ominous shaded his eyes.   
  
**"Because, querida. I love you with…every fiber of my being. There just wouldn't be any point to me existing without you by my side."  
  
Death.  
  
**"Up here, Susannah." A wicked smile, torn shirt in his hand, a strange and foreign joy. "That's what I thought."  
  
His hands stopped trembling and slowly lowered. His lips moved, but nothing came out. He couldn't speak. Couldn't…  
  
That one night of heavy passion, of love and unspoken vows… *"You…are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."   
  
"Don't," I said suddenly, the word tearing from my throat like a desperate prayer. "Don't!"  
  
As if in slow motion, deaf to my pleas, Jesse's body caved in on itself, falling like a puppet whose strings had been cut loose, and landing on the pavement beside me. I sucked in a breath.  
  
He was dead.  
  
Then his head moved, falling slightly to face me. His eyes were open, somehow gray and still.   
  
Dead.  
  
His hand twitched, and I grabbed it, hoping, praying…and the cold fingers wrapped around my hand, and gave one final weak squeeze.  
  
*"Susannah…will you marry me?"  
  
His hand slipped away into the rain.  
  
"Oh Susannah, no don't you cry for me…"  
  
I was crying…  
  
"Cause I come from Alabama with this banjo on my knee…"  
  
If only there was a dagger, or a gun, or a vial of poison somewhere. Then I could make like Juliet and die next to him. Because that's what I wanted right now. To die right along with Jesse.   
  
But I had something just as effective as a dagger, gun, or poison.  
  
I had Bianca.  
  
She was watching through the rain, like a beast stalking its prey. Slowly, she stepped forward. And I saw her face.  
  
For some reason, I wasn't as shocked as I should have been. I was too numb for shock.   
  
She wasn't Bianca. The real Bianca died two years ago. Paul killed her. This was someone else.   
  
This was Maria DeSilva.  
  
"Why?" I whispered, grabbing Jesse's icy hand again and cradling in my lap, rocking back and forth, holding it like my life depended on it, sobbing softly. "Why?"  
  
Maria smiled cruelly. "The bastard stood me up. Nobody messes with Maria DeSilva and gets away with it."  
  
Easily tuning her out before I was forced to endure maniacal rants of meaningless revenge, I looked at Jesse's face. Rain was splashing into his still-open eyes. I passed my hand over the eyelids, closing them respectfully, lovingly brushing my hand across his cheek. He looked like he was only sleeping, like he could wake up any moment, pissed as hell, and reek revenge on his ex-fiancee. I lifted his hand to my lips, nearly choking on my grief, and kissed it gently, letting my lips linger in the hopes that it would be the breath of life, like in Sleeping Beauty. But it didn't work when you kissed the hand…  
  
I dropped Jesse's hand and lifted his head onto my lap, holding it against me tightly.  
  
Maybe if you kiss him he'll wake up.  
  
Yes…  
  
Denial wracking my every stiff movement, my every shaking sob, I leaned over him and touched my warms lips to his blue ones.   
  
"Wake up," I whispered against his mouth.   
  
Nothing.  
  
"Just wake up, Jesse…please?"  
  
Jesse was in the Great Beyond. He wasn't coming back.  
  
I lifted my lips from his, and gazed down at him, letting my tears fall onto his face…  
  
"Maria," I said, my voice surprisingly strong and steady. I looked up at her, into her eyes, letting every ounce of my hatred and rage seep into that cold glare. Her smile faltered.  
  
"Kill me," I commanded.  
  
Maria blinked. "What?"  
  
"Kill me," I repeated.  
  
Maria smiled uncertainly. Then that smile also vanished. "W-what?"  
  
"Are you retarded or something? I said, KILL ME GODDAMMIT!"  
  
Maria stepped towards me. Then she stopped. "…why?"  
  
"Because I want to die, that's why. You took away the one thing in the world I had left to live for…so there is no reason for me to live." I gazed down again and Jesse, smoothing the hair away from his eyes. "So I don't want to live anymore. I'm done with this pathetic life of mine. I…quit."  
  
As soon as the word "quit" left my lips, I was hit with another bout of violent coughs, which splattered blood onto Jesse's perfect, dead face, which were quickly swept away by the rain.  
  
I'm going to die, too. With that thought to comfort me, I closed my eyes and lay in the rain beside my Jesse, waiting for the Death to come.  
  
"Susannah," someone whispered into my ear.  
  
My imagination. Just my stupid imagination.  
  
"Susannah…don't die," he said desperately.  
  
Ignore it and it will go away.  
  
"Susannah!" Someone touched my shoulder. My eyes opened. I found myself staring straight into Jesse's lifeless face. I squinted suspiciously at it.  
  
"Susannah? You are still alive…right...?"  
  
I whirled around and found myself face-to-face with…Jesse. Yeah, that was Jesse. And…he was glowing.  
  
"You're a ghost," I whispered.  
  
Jesse nodded solemnly.  
  
"A ghost," I said again, and my voice cracked. "A ghost!"   
  
"Susannah, calm down-"  
  
I spun around to face Maria, my rage blazing. "He's a ghost," I informed her.  
  
Maria took a step backwards.  
  
"HE'S A GHOST! A GHOOOOOOST!!!!!!"  
  
I was on her in a flash, smashing her face into the pavement, scratching, clawing, gouging everything I could reach. Below me, Maria was squirming, kicking, fighting, but she was no match for my uncontrollable anger. In one swift movement, I grabbed her head and twisted it around, hearing the satisfying crunch of a broken neck.  
  
"GHOST! GHOST! GHOST!" I screamed, still punching and kicking and mutilating even though she was already dead.  
  
Someone grabbed me from behind then, pulling my hair back painfully. With an enraged howl, I pivoted and backhanded whoever had been pulling me back, which turned out to be Maria, now also a ghost.  
  
"Susannah, stop!" Jesse called out, rushing towards me. He stopped right in front of me, gazing down at me with something incredibly sad in his eyes. Behind him, Maria was crawling along the street, dazed. Beyond her, lying in a crumpled heap, was Jesse's body. I looked back at Jesse, then towards his body. Back at Jesse, then back at his body again. Back at Jesse, and…and I just stared into his eyes.  
  
"Jesse," I whispered. Then I threw myself at him like the pathetic girl I was, sobbing and shaking. He wrapped his arms around me, and leaned his chin on the top of my head. His hand rubbed my back soothingly.  
  
He no longer had the warmth of someone who was…alive. He was dead…again. I was back to square one. And I just couldn't marry a ghost.  
  
"Oh, Jesse!" I whimpered into his chest.  
  
I remembered the feel of his hands on my body, the exquisite love-making, the pure and simple happiness, the one, single normal date, the romantic memories that would have to last me a lifetime. I saw me a middle-aged woman, holding hands with a still very handsome, also middle-aged Jesse, a girl running around us, laughing, about twelve years old, maybe a little younger, chasing a dog around…our daughter. I future daughter, our future life together, which would never happen, after all. Then the girl slowly faded from the vision, like she was never there, and the smiling Jesse dropped my hand and glided away into the shadows.   
  
And I was alone in the blackness.  
  
"Don't leave me, Jesse," I whispered, sniffing. "Anything but this…"  
  
"Awww, how sad," drawled a loud, lazy voice.  
  
Jesse's hold on me tightened impulsively. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the nightmare, willing myself to wake up from this horrible reality.  
  
"Leave now," Jesse's voice commanded.  
  
Paul laughed. "Oh, how quaintly pathetic." I could hear him walking closer to us. "And how are you, Suze?" came his husky voice, just behind me. Jesse backed away, taking me with him. My knees suddenly buckled, and for some reason I couldn't stand on my own. I whimpered, and suddenly started coughing again. I didn't need to see the blood to know it was there. To know that I would be gone soon if this kept up. I felt Jesse lean over a bit, and his hand came up under my knees, and he swept me up, holding me tightly against him, still backing away slowly from where Paul was.  
  
"Suze, you're not looking so good," I heard Paul say. I kept my eyes closed and turned into Jesse's chest, burying my face there, feeling so safe in his arms despite what was happening around me.  
  
"Aren't you even going to look at me?" Paul said.  
  
I could hear a low growl rumbling deep in Jesse's chest. My protector…  
  
I opened my eyes finally, and the first thing I saw was Jesse's dead body, lying a few feet away from   
  
us. I suppressed the instinctive tears that automatically found their way into my eyes, figuring it was time to quit whining and whimpering and stand up for myself.   
  
I had an idea.  
  
"Jesse," I whispered. "I'm gonna try something. Just play along, ok?"  
  
He gave me a gentle squeeze as an affirmative.  
  
"Put me down, Jesse," I said. He did so reluctantly. Immediately my legs gave way, and I would have fallen if Jesse hadn't caught me. The internal bleeding must have been worse than I thought.  
  
"Internal bleeding," Paul murmured dubiously, reading my mind. "However did that happen to you, Suze?"  
  
I was forced to let Jesse support me, since that was the only way I could stand at all. I brought my eyes up to Paul, and shivered involuntarily. Paul, dressed from head to toe in black but not looking nearly as freaky as he did in that alleyway so long ago, didn't seem to notice. Jesse did, and tried to pull me into his chest. As tempting as that was, I pushed away, knowing I would have to do my best to stand alone against Paul.  
  
"Ask Bianca…or should I say, Maria," I spat out.  
  
Paul's eyes widened slightly.   
  
"She's also the one who killed my Jesse," I added, with emphasis on 'my'.  
  
His eyes narrowed into angry slits. "Oh, really?" He spotted Maria a good distance away, running for her dear life towards the woods at the edge of the road. With an imperious gesture of his left hand, Maria was suddenly lifted high into the air by an invisible force…and slammed into the ground at Paul's feet so hard that tiny cracks were formed in the asphalt where she impacted. I winced at the loud, crunching sound, but I was shamelessly happy to see her in that world of pain. If she has no heart to experience my pain, then let her experience the only pain she could.  
  
For a long, long moment, the only sound was that of the driving rain, which seemed to be getting steadily heavier and soaking me right to the bone, and the sound of every bone in Maria's broken ghost-body snapping back into place as she moaned in pain.  
  
Then she finally stood up, slowly, looking extremely terrified. She fidgeted in place in front of Paul, who was standing in a very relaxed pose, gazing with apparent nonchalance at his nails and blowing on them casually. For some reason seemed scarier than if he had gone on a rampage.  
  
"Maria," he said finally. "Maria, Maria, Maria." He shook his head reproachfully, harboring a secret little smile.  
  
Maria was trembling visibly. You deserve it, b*tch.  
  
"I brought you up from the fiery pits of Hell in an act of mercy that I had never before performed and probably never will again. I let you take the position of my co-conspirator. I welcomed you into my castle."  
  
"Great Unholy One, sir," Maria said desperately. "Please, I-"  
  
"Shut. The *fuck. Up." Paul said calmly.  
  
Maria fell silent.  
  
Jesse leaned over towards me, and whispered into my ear, "Susannah, he's going to try to take you."  
  
"I know," I whispered back.  
  
"I'll distract him, while you-"  
  
"Jesse," I hissed with some desperation. "You're not doing anything. Just let me do what I need to do. This…none of this…is your fault. It's all because of me…"  
  
"None of this is your fault, either," Jesse said. "It's not your fault that all these stupid demons wanted to get involved in your life-"  
  
I laughed quietly.  
  
"What?" Jesse said. "What's so funny?"  
  
"No, just...you called them stupid demons, and…and you're a demon…or you used to be a demon…or…or…" I swallowed the sob that threatened to escape. "But you were never a stupid demon…"  
  
Jesse was about to say more, but we were interrupted by sudden screaming. It was Maria, backing away from Paul, who had a scary smile on his face.  
  
"NOOOO! YOU WILL NOT SEND ME BACK THERE!" Maria was screeching. "I WON'T GO BACK! YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKER! I HATE YOU! I HATE-"  
  
Paul waved his hand, and she was smashed down into the road, lying on her back, twitching oddly, trying to move. Paul strolled along to her as if he were taking a walk in the park.  
  
"Now, Maria, those aren't very nice things to say," he said with a lazy grin. "But you lied to me, you did things behind my back. You've been…naughty."  
  
Maria let out a strangled cry, which caught in her throat as Paul lifted one foot and placed it on her chest, pressing down slightly. "You killed the poor guy for some weird reason, when I specifically told you I needed him alive, in order to take back my power." He pressed harder on her chest, and she let out an odd wheezing sound. "You tried to kill my future bride, when I specifically told you to bring her to me conscious and unharmed." He smiled. "And besides that, you've been an All-American B*tch. Now accept what is coming to you, wench."  
  
A gaping hole suddenly opened up right beneath her, and she was suspended above it. Hot flames were dancing around the rim, licking at Maria, burning her back.  
  
Hell.  
  
Maria screamed. I never heard a sound like that, and I hope I never will again. It just wasn't human…it was the scream of an trapped animal.  
  
Paul lifted his foot slightly, then smashed it down into Maria's chest, completely collapsing her ribcage.  
  
"Oh, my god," I whispered in shock. It was such a horrific sight, and I was entranced by it…by the pale light of the street lamp, rain sloshing and coming down in fierce gales, a glowing pit of fire, from which more inhuman screeches were now issuing, Maria, screaming, twitching, fingers clenching…and Paul standing above her, his foot in her chest, grinning, his teeth unnaturally long, almost fangs.  
  
And Paul laughed demonically, his voice overlapped with another, much deeper growl. "Sayonara, baby!" he howled, then with one last shove of his foot, Maria free-fell into the mouth of Hell. The hole closed up like the jaws of a beast, closing her desperate cries away from the world for all eternity.  
  
A/N: On to Part II... 


	11. Falling, Part II

Angel Wings--Chapter 10, Part II  
  
Jesse and I stood in silence, holding onto one another as Paul turned to us, grinning like a die-hard maniac, and said in that weird demonic voice, "That's all, folks!"  
  
I finally found my voice, shaky thought it was, and said, "Well, if that's all, we'll just be going, now." I started to turn away, tugging Jesse along with me. But when I turned, I almost walked right into Paul, who instead of being ten feet away from us, was suddenly just…here.  
  
"Suze, you're hurt," he said, and thankfully, his voice was normal again.  
  
"Yeah, I'll go to a hospital somewhere. Out of my way." I turned aside to go, and just like before, there he was, right in my face. Jesse pulled me back, behind him, and he glared at Paul.  
  
"Do you think she wants to be with a monster like you?" he spat out. "Someone who enjoys watching people suffer, and takes pride in his evil ways? You disgust her. Can't you see that?"  
  
"Get back in your body, I need you alive," Paul said with a scowl.  
  
"My body, in case you haven't noticed, is impaled on a piece of glass," Jesse said dryly.  
  
"And what a beautiful sight it is!" Paul said with a smile, walking towards Jesse's body, "But I really must insist you get back in it."   
  
He reached down and grabbed the huge piece of glass, and pulled. It came out with a sick sucking sound, and anger welled up in me again. "Wow, she did a number on you," Paul remarked, peering down at the fatal wound.  
  
"Leave him alone!" I screamed, running at him. Paul looked up at me and caught me in his arms as I lunged at him, holding me to him in an intimate position that made me hate him all the more.   
  
"Hey, Suze, so good of you to join me," he said with a mischievous grin.  
  
"You bastard," I hissed at him. "If you think I'll stand here and let you mutilate him-"  
  
"Susannah," Jesse said gently. "…look."  
  
I looked down at the body. It had a strange blue glow around it. The blue glow flared into a bright, blinding light, then dimmed, and just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. I stared at the still face expectantly, and then I jumped back in surprise when the body suddenly took a deep gasp of breath. Every muscles seemed to jitter to life, until the body settled down again, lying back restfully, breathing regularly. Ghost Jesse was standing beside me, watching the whole phenomenon, and he finally murmured, "The wound is gone."  
  
I looked down, and sure enough, Jesse's gorgeous abs were intact, still caked with dry blood from the missing gash.  
  
Paul smiled at Jesse. The kind of best-buddy smile that totally screamed, "I'm doing this for you, but only because I'll get something out of it." Jesse eyed Paul suspiciously, then looked back at his body, whose full lips were slowly warming back to a warm pink color.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Jesse said. "It's a trap."  
  
Paul rolled his eyes. "Why does everything need to be a trap? I just want Suze, I never meant to hurt you."  
  
"You want your power back, you said so yourself," Jesse stated flatly.  
  
"So we have a little fight, nothing serious, and whoever wins takes all. Nobody has to die," Paul said with a shrug.  
  
Jesse looked down at his body again, then at me. "Don't touch her," he said. Paul, as if suddenly realizing he still had his arms around me, let go like I had just caught fire.  
  
"Ok, ok, hands to myself until I beat you up," Paul said with a fake smile.  
  
Jesse crossed his arms over his chest. "No," he said firmly. "I-"  
  
"Jesse," I whispered desperately. "Please…"  
  
Jesse looked towards me, and scrutinized me with those dark, expressionless eyes of his. I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes, and Jesse shook his head in disbelief. "Nombre de Dios, Susannah, this…you should know this is too good to be true. And what if he wins?"  
  
"JUST DO IT, JESSE!" I snarled at him.  
  
"Me-ow," Paul said, grinning at me.  
  
"AND YOU, SHUT UP!" I spat back.  
  
Jesse gave me one last look that said, "Don't come crying to me if this is a trap," and he lied back onto his body, melding with it until he vanished into it. The eyes opened again, full of life, and I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face.  
  
My life has been salvaged.  
  
Then, as Jesse was sitting up, Paul was suddenly behind me, and he grabbed me and pulled me into him. I started to scream, but that only turned into painful coughs.  
  
"Shhhh…" Paul said, and a soothing coolness spread through my body. The coughing stopped, and all the pains and aches seemed to just vanish. "There you go, little one," Paul murmured gently into my ear. "All better."  
  
"Don't call me little one," I said. But hey, I wasn't about to complain about these healing and life-giving powers Paul seemed to have.  
  
Jesse stood up slowly, as if testing his body for bombs or something. When nothing happened, he sighed in relief, and looked up and Paul, who was still holding me.  
  
"Hands to yourself, remember?" Jesse said, and the air around him began to crackle with a kind of electricity.   
  
"Yeah, um, about that," Paul said. "There's…been a change of plans."  
  
I had a small panic attack at those words, and I fought to run to Jesse, but, as always, the bad guy wouldn't let me go.  
  
Jesse's eyes narrowed. "Really? How surprising."   
  
"I'm sorry to say that I have appointment that I really must be getting to," Paul said with a note of pseudo-regret in his voice. My feet slowly lifted off the ground, and I realized we were levitating off the ground. Then I swallowed my scream as the ground below us opened up, revealing the same fiery pit that had snared Maria.  
  
"No," I said, voice trembling. "No, I won't go down there."  
  
"Won't you?" Paul said.  
  
Jesse took a step toward us, the reflection of the flames dancing in his eyes. "Don't you dare…"  
  
"Oh, I will dare," Paul replied curtly.  
  
Jesse took another threatening step towards us. He was starting to glow with that weird dark energy that characterized demons.  
  
"I'll send up my agent for you, and we can have a regal showdown, demon style," Paul said with a smirk. "And my wife will be watching."  
  
Suddenly, before Jesse had time to do a thing about it, Paul did a graceful mid-air flip, and we plunged head-first into the pit.  
  
It happened so fast. They were there one moment, Paul leering at her and she, oblivious to the hunger shining in his eyes right behind her, looking furious. Then they were falling into the fire, Susannah's screams echoing in my ears, and the hole was swallowing them up.  
  
I leaped for the pit, trying to follow them in, but it closed up right in my face. For a moment, I stared in disbelief at the ground in front of me, willing it to open again. Then an awful sense of helplessness swept over me. Because Susannah was gone, because I was so stupid, and because this was all my fault. I didn't care if Susannah said I was innocent-I would always be the bane of her life, whether she acknowledged it or not.  
  
I stood up slowly, and looked around absently. Trying to think of something.  
  
Father Dom.  
  
Father Dom must know some way to get me to Hell. He was a priest. Maybe he could open up the way for me to go in and save Susannah…  
  
A coldness suddenly permeated the air. No, this wasn't a mere coldness…this was a darkness. A darkness within my very bones, within my very soul…so foul and chilling. I shivered.  
  
"You," a voice rasped slowly behind me. I whirled around, and came face to face with a smiling porcelain mask. With a surprised shout, I stumbled and fell gracelessly backwards.  
  
"You are Hector DeSilva," the thing said in a voice that seemed to resonate inside my head and struck fear within me for no apparent reason. It was a shadow…a black shadow with no face, only that creepy mask which was dusty and covered in hairpin cracks.  
  
I swallowed. "Y-yes…"  
  
"The Unholy One requests an audience with you. You must come at once. Follow me…"  
  
I didn't relish the idea of following strange shadows anywhere, but I had a feeling the thing would force me, and that wouldn't be very pleasant. I stood up and took a step away from the creature, for my own comfort.   
  
"Who are you?" I said in as confident a voice as I could muster, which wasn't very confident.  
  
"The Keeper of Souls," he said in his hollow, dead-sounding voice. "You need know no more than that."  
  
"Take me to him, then," I said.  
  
The Keeper was silent for a few minutes, the mask staring at me, and I grew increasingly uneasy. It just seemed wrong for some reason.  
  
"Come closer," it said.  
  
I took a hesitant step forward.  
  
"Closer," it urged.  
  
One more reluctant step.  
  
"Closer," it said, almost a whisper.  
  
One more step would bring me right in front of it. The porcelain mask gleamed in the light, and seemed to be laughing at me as I contempleted the possible disastrous results of going so close to a henchmen of Paul...and I took the final step.  
  
Then a long, spindly shadow arm came up from its side, and grabbed the mask.  
  
It was going to take it off.  
  
Involuntarily, I averted my eyes.  
  
"Do not look away," it warned, "or you will be eaten by the Lost."  
  
Well, that didn't sound too pleasant. So I faced the Keeper, and forced myself not to look away as it slowly pulled away the mask, and I saw their faces…  
  
And I screamed as the horrors of humanity were poured into me, forever transforming me, and forever claiming me as one of its victims.  
  
"And we shall raise him on high…  
  
The Unholy One has come…  
  
Ruler of the Cosmos…  
  
Curse of Humanity…"  
  
I was trapped in a darkness, hearing the worshipful chanting with a sick stomach. I was tied to something, I knew because I couldn't move my hands or feet. I felt dazed, like I'd been through something really tiring, and I remembered the fire…  
  
"He who hath fallen…  
  
Upon the sword of Michael, the destroyer…"  
  
"Oh, shut up," I moaned out. Surprisingly, they did. And I suddenly felt eyes on me. Thousands of eyes. Millions of eyes. An infinite number of eyes. I opened my eyes. The multitude before me were covered in a shroud of shadow, and I was indeed tied to something, on a raised platform. I moved my head to get an idea of my surroundings.  
  
I was tied to an upside-down cross. Wow, suddenly I'm gothic queen extraordinaire. To my left, there was what I understood to be a lifesize statue of Jesus, arms outstretched, heart exposed…with a thorny sword going through the heart. A statue of Mary, to my right, had received a similar fate.  
  
"Wow, you people are sick," I said loudly. "You hear me? SICK!"  
  
Murmurs of indignation rose from the crowd.  
  
"Now now, Suze," came Paul's voice from behind me. "Behave."  
  
"Paul," I said, struggling to contain my rage, "WHAT THE *FUCK AM I DOING HERE!!!!"  
  
"This is our wedding, dearest," Paul said sweetly. "And I want you to call me by my real name from now on."  
  
"What is it? Lucifer?" I laughed coldly. "Satan? Or-oh, wait…Unholy One!"  
  
"Actually," Paul said, coming into my field of vision, and I saw he was wearing what looked like a navy blue tux (which kind of surprised me, you know…I was expecting some kind of Halloween costume), "I only meant I want you to call me King Paul."  
  
I snorted. "Wow, that'll be the day."  
  
Paul smiled at me, and reached out a hand to touch my face. I turned away from him, but I still couldn't prevent his cold touch. "I have someone here to see you," Paul whispered.  
  
"Who, your evil crackpot dad?"  
  
"No. You're ex-fiancee, dearest."  
  
"Wha…" I trailed off as I saw him walking from somewhere in the crowd up onto the platform. "Jesse!" I cried out. "Jesse! Get out of here! What are you doing…" That was when I noticed the chains he was dragging along with him as he walked. Thick, black chains that looked like they must have weighed a ton. He walked slowly, almost zombie-like, as if in a trance. His eyes were wide open, and when he stopped in front of me, they looked through me, beyond me, into nothing.  
  
His eyes had a haunted look in them.  
  
"J…Jesse?"  
  
He didn't even seem to know I was there.  
  
"Paul!" I sobbed out. "What did you do to him?!"  
  
Paul smiled knowingly. "I shared with him the secrets of humanity."  
  
"What the *FUCK it that supposed to mean????"  
  
"You don't want to know," Paul said quietly, and I shivered. Paul waved his hand, and the chanting began again. Paul walked towards me, slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. I tore my eyes from his hypnotizing gaze, and looked at Jesse, just standing there, no reaction, no knowledge, just standing there like he had seen the most horrible things, his lips quivering just the tiniest bit…  
  
One second later, Paul was in front of me, leaning towards me, eyes closing, breath tickling my cheek…and his lips were on mine. It was the kiss of eternal enslavement. As his breath entered into my body, I felt unspeakable emptiness fill me. I was a void. The only emotion I seemed to recall ever having was incredible sadness. Paul's hands slid over my body, touched me in places they shouldn't have, and he murmured into my ear, "Welcome to my world, my Queen."  
  
And a single tear fell from Jesse's eye.  
  
A/N: Was that a sad ending? Well, in the sequel, we'll make everything ok again ^_^ It's called..."Rebirth"! What a happy title! It's coming soon! Anyway, thanks for sticking with me, even through my dry spells. I'm honored by your patience.  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed me, and as a gift for your love, I'm posting the sequel during the last week of August, and that's a promise.  
  
Now, just cause the story is over, it doesn't mean that you don't have to REVIEW!!!!!  
  
TTFN 


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